Ghostly Visions and Living Partners
by Forest of Rubies
Summary: "A simple huntsman was all they wanted to be, all they planned to be. Life, unluckily, decided to play." Now hear me out about the OCs. There are only three, and only two of which that is considered important. Follows the main plot, with my own spin, but the main focus is on the main cast and the moments between them. POV is from an OC, but I needed it that way for story reasons.
1. A simple Hunstman

**Chapter 1: A simple Huntsman**

The first thing Azura Heart heard when he got on the airship was how a girl got accepted into Beacon two years early. It seemed like everyone knew about it, but this was the first time he even heard that such a thing happened. He shook his head, his wavy white hair shaking as he did so. As he looked around for a seat, he felt that he looked out of place. And no, it wasn't because he was six feet tall, Azura smiling to himself while thinking that. No, the issue was that everyone was wearing bright colors compared to his dark shirt, with many more in his suitcase he was told to bring. Even his hoodie felt a little awkward, with its simple design of black on the outside and red inside, similar to his boots. The most color he had were his blue jeans, which he also had several pairs of. It wasn't his fault, those people in Vale who helped him might as well have demanded that he did so, not to mention that he did like the colors, so it was easy.

It was a fact that Azura was a simple person, who wore simple clothing, had simple weapons, and wanted to be a simple huntsman. So, he took a seat where there weren't a lot of people. Nearby were two huntress-to-be's, a tall blonde that seemed to completely fit in with the crowd, and an awkward girl in black and red. The blonde's hair ran down to her waist, nearly covering her orange scarf and brown jacket that stopped at the small of her white skinned sleeves also stopped early, just at the elbows, where black cuffs covered the elbows. Her arms had yellow plates of metal, so it was probably her weapon of choice. She turned a bit to the side, so that Azura could continue to analyze the outfit. He couldn't help himself, he just liked people watching. Well, his mother taught him to always watch those around him as well. To continue his analyzing, she had lilac colored eyes, and she wore what looked like a yellow shirt, with an emblem on it, perhaps personal. Below the waist, she had a brown belt that held some brown material around her back side, with black shorts. Her boots were knee high with a light brown color, and a purple bandana around her left knee.

When he shifted his light yellow eyes to look at the other girl, he heard a news announcer going over some criminal known in Vale. Deciding to ignore it, he spent the time by analyzing another person, that being the black haired girl with the red tips. She was shorter than the blonde, same with her hair length, and wore similar colors to Azura, so he was glad his color choice was not the odd one out. She wore a black, dress-like outfit, that had long sleeves to cover her arms. Perhaps a combat dress, Azura thought to himself. The outfit was a simplistic one in coloring, with black and red being the only visible colors, other than her silver eyes. A black waist cincher was snugly fit, and had red lacing covering it. Speaking of red, the dress and sleeves had red trimming, but that red cloak just popped out. It was worn around her shoulders, with cross-like shapes pinning it to the outfit. Beyond that, she wore black combat boots with red laces.

With how long he looked at them, Azura had to wonder if they were some protagonists to a story. The thought made him chuckle quietly, but his thoughts were cut off suddenly as his semblance flared, and Azura sighed as he pulled his aura back in. He would have to gain control of the aura thing, so that it would stay invisible and "silent", and so that he doesn't burn his aura off. Also so that the spirits remained unseen. He didn't want to cause a panic.

His semblance still active, he was happy to see almost no ghosts or spirits physically visible. The passive part of his semblance allowed him to see and interact with them no matter that case though. His mother, Luna, was seated next to him, her fox ears up and at attention, covered by her long white hair, always watching out for him. Her yellow eyes glowed as she looked over the place, her pale white skin, another thing that made Azura a spitting image of his mother, shimmering in an old, faded way. She wore a simple outfit, a black combat dress that was covered in white silk, going through the dress like the web of a spider. Only her neck, face, and legs were uncovered, the dress having long sleeves. Her bare feet were due to her semblance, which allowed her to 'walk' on the air. Don't need shoes if you don't need to touch the ground, is what she always told him when he was a kid.

It was ironic to miss his mother, since she was always following him, but she could not speak. The way one dies leaves them with no way to do said thing, as he discovered upon unlocking his semblance. So, she could not communicate in a normal fashion. No speaking, writing, sign language, Azura has tried everything he could think of, with no luck. He felt a hand land on his shoulder, and looked up to see a pointing finger. Looking across the way, he found another ghost hovering around the red cloaked girl. Other than the all black clothing and the white on red cloak, it looked very similar to her. The thought of that being her mother didn't shock him, but it felt like he was invading her privacy, so he looked away. Luckily, the other ghost didn't seem to notice him.

Luckily, a distraction seemed to be waiting for him to look away before starting. A woman popped up, and she seemed to be Professor Goodwitch. He remembered hearing about her from his mother, whenever she talked about her time in Beacon, when they were both students. Her blonde hair was in a bun, with her green eyes being covered by her ovular glasses. She wore teal earrings that matched the pendant on her collar, with a white long-sleeved, pleated top with cuffs at her wrists. Her lower body was covered by a black pencil skirt with black stockings and black boots. A cape was flowing down her back before cutting off into several directions, the purple inside popping out in contrast to the black on the other side. Realizing he wasn't paying attention, he caught the tail end of her dialogue.

"And now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

And with that, she disappeared, her form only being a video. He really needed to stop people watching, otherwise his grades at this school will drop. At least he wasn't as bad as that blonde boy over there, with the blue jeans and black sweatshirt covered by armor. He looked ready to puke, signaling motion sickness, and Azura kept an eye on him, unless he be puked on. He couldn't help but smile as the blonde ran by him and, by accident, puked a bit on the shoes of red's companion. The smile grew as they freaked out a bit at it, his amusement satiated. He stood up and looked out the window, watching Beacon grow in the distance, the green clocktower standing out compared to the rest of the academy.

Upon the airship landing, he walked towards the door as it opened up, and slightly cringed as he heard the retching of 'Blonde Armor' to his left, glancing at his sloached form clinging to the trash can. The path stretched out towards Beacon, with lights that were lined with red flags and trees lining the sides of the path. Azura walked a distance behind 'Red' and 'Yellow', watching her freak out over something, as Yellow grabbed her by the cloak to get her attention again.

Only for her to leave Red in the dust.

He continued to move past, not seeing a white haired girl approach Red. He did notice the black haired girl watching from a distance, with a book in hand. Probably noticing his staring, she glanced up in his direction. He waved, and upon getting nothing back, shrugged and moved on. An explosion sounded and he looked back to see Red and a white haired girl, who seemed to be a Schnee, from the SDC logo on her back, arguing over something. The black haired girl joined in and he decided to book it while he could, before he got involved as well.

Upon making it to the auditorium, Azura took the time to look around. It had stands in the background, raised above the center area, and an overall simple design, so Azura figured that this could be used to train students, or perhaps to simply gather them easily for school events. About ten minutes after studying the layout of the auditorium they were directed towards, he saw Blonde Armor and Red make their way in on his left. He was leaning on a wall near the door, and watched as they seperated, Red going off and leaving Blonde Armor alone. He heard the mic being tapped on, and looked over to see a man with silver hair walk onto the stage, his cane dragging slightly behind his body. He wore a simple suit, green on the inside, and a soft black jacket and pants. He appeared to be the headmaster, or rather, Headmaster Ozpin.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished this, you will dedicate your lives to the protection of Remnant and its people. But, when I look amongst you, I see wasted potential and energy, in need of purpose and direction. You think knowledge will free you of such a burden, but you will see that it can only get you so far. It is up to you to take the first step towards becoming a hunter or huntress."

And with that, he left.

Azura snorted, whispering to himself, his baritone voice reaching only the close few around him. "What a weird man. Who just says that and walks off without a word?"

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight." Goodwitch stated. "Tomorrow is your initiation, be ready. You are dismissed."

Upon leaving the auditorium, he looked around outside. He was given directions for the auditorium, but were they supposed to just stumble upon the ballroom? Lost in his thoughts, he never noticed the blonde woman approaching him and sling an arm around his shoulders. He yelped, slinking out and turning around.

"Heya Snow, you lost? Don't you worry, mama Yang will treat you well!"

Her voice was loud, confident. This Yang person was the blonde he was watching before, so he responded in the best way possible.

"What?"

Yang laughed, before he saw Red come in front of him, speaking a little faster, almost nervously.

"I am so sorry for my sister! She has a tendency to tease boys." She shuffled her feet, her higher pitched voice growing faster as she continued. "Anyway, I'm Ruby Rose! What's your name?"

"My name is Azura Heart, and it's nice to meet you!" He grinned, pointing to himself. "Or as, Yang, was it?"

Seeing her nod, he continued. "As she put it, Snow is the new nickname."

"I like you, Snow. You got personality!"

"Please don't encourage her." Ruby groaned beside Yang.

Azura laughed before fully facing Yang. "I actually am lost. They spoke of a ballroom, but I have no idea where that is. It's already getting late, which is why I was looking around." He tilted his head to look at the nearly set sun behind Yang, the lights blinking on as the ground grew darker.

"Gotcha. Well, if I recall correctly, it's this way." She pointed while speaking, walking off.

It was a quiet walk towards the ballroom, the silence only broken by the small talk between Ruby and Yang. Upon reaching the ballroom, they found plenty of other students wandering about, likely for a empty sleeping bag. The bags were red, and placed around, with seemingly enough for all new students. How they managed that, he didn't know.

"Well," Yang coughed, "This is where we find some bags to sleep in."

Humming in agreement, the three students searched for a little while, coming upon three in the corner that were empty.

"Ruby can have the left, while Snow can take the right. Does that work?"

The way Yang said that implied that there was no choice, which, while he had no issue with that, the way she was cracking her knuckles left no room for argument.

Azura shuffled awkwardly. "Er, yeah."

Yang smiled, before promptly taking her jacket off, leaving her with a orange tank top. Ruby disappeared and reappeared with rose petals going around, but now wearing pajamas. Azura mentally wrote to ask her about the rose petals at a later point. He just laid down, not caring to go under the cover of the sleeping bag. He closed his eyes, listening to Yang try to comfort Ruby about her age and lack of friends. At least he found out who the young student was. Hearing them leave, he settled on the ground a little deeper. He fell asleep, hearing Ruby and another girl arguing, and his mother sitting down next to him, his last thoughts being of how his normal life was about to move faster.

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Azura woke up, being shook by the hand that lay on his shoulder. He cracked open his eyes, looking to his right to see Yang crouched over him.

"Ah, you're finally awake! I was starting to think you would sleep through initiation."

He raised his arms, slightly shaking as he stretched. Looking at Yang, he saw that she was already back in her jacket. Seeing a hand waiting to pick him up, he grabbed it, surprised at the show of strength as Yang pulled him up with ease.

"You sure are strong." Azura said with a chuckle. "You sure you don't want to be a wrestler instead?"

Yang smirked. "You sure you don't want to see me wear tight clothing?"

A eye roll was his response. "Yeah, yeah. We getting breakfast?"

With a nod, she let go of his hand, spinning around and walking off. A nudge of his shoulder had Azura looking over to see his mother, Luna, looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her fox tail wagging. Giving a deadpan stare at her, he sighed before walking towards Yang. She was waiting with Ruby, having some sort of conversation. Behind her, the ghostly woman who looked like Ruby stood watching over them. His stomach churned and his ears rung, unsure of what to think about it. He accepted his mother dying, despite not knowing how she did, besides it being a Grimm that did so, but this made him feel terrible. They started walking after he and Ruby traded a hello, with him just behind them. His thoughts were all over the place, unsure if he should reveal his secret. Would they even want to know? If they did, would they not want to be his friends, but use him for his semblance? And if they didn't...Azura didn't want to think about it.

"Hey, you okay?" Ruby asked, looking at him, worried.

"Yeah, you look kind of down, Snow." Yang asked, before looking over at Ruby. "Hey! Maybe he's as nervous about this as you are Rubes!"

"Yang!" Ruby said, dragging her name out. "Don't tell him that I feel the same, it will ruin the effect. Besides, I drink milk! I can't be nervous."

That got a laugh out of Azura, his laugh bellowing out in the nearly empty hall. Ruby giggled, clearly glad to have helped.

"Thank you, Ruby."

"No problem." She replied, saluting him.

They continued on in peace, making it to a cafeteria of sorts, windows lining the walls. They went towards the center, where some makeshift food was placed. Famished, Azura grabbed some apples and cheese, as well as a bottle of water. Yang grabbed similar food, but seeing Ruby grab strawberries and cookies together was a shock. Looking over at Yang, she shrugged, as if to say he shouldn't ask. Sitting down, Azura took the time to look around, his eyes roaming over students as he ate. There was an ornamental boy, with a traditional outfit he didn't recognize that was colored with green, black, and gold. There was a hint of magenta to highlight his similarly colored eyes and strip of magenta hair, standing out among the black hair. He had an orange haired companion, a clearly energetic girl. She was mainly wearing pink, except for the black and white of her shirt, which held a heart shape hole between her chest and neck. Metal lined her upper body, though he was unsure of its use.

Continuing his watch, he spotted the Schnee making conversation with a redhead girl. He only remembered the Schnee family because of the stories his mother told him of her travels in Atlas, and the horrible treatment of Faunus. He recalled her telling him to remember he was part Fox Faunus, just without a trait. The Schnee outfit was simple, yet regal. It was a mixture of white and soft blue-gray, and was a similar combat skirt and dress combo, like Ruby. A hint of red was found on the inside, near her neck. While she seemed to be talking calmly, she looked overly excited about the redhead, while the armored girl seemed calm, but slightly agitated. Azura wondered what that was about.

The redhead had red wine colored hair, and was wearing a lot of copper metal, or maybe it was a dull colored kind of gold mixture. A breastplate was wrapped tightly around her upper body, lined with leather on the outside. An ornamental headpiece was around her head, and a similar colored metal wrapped around her throat. She had dark, elbow length gloves, and her left arm had a metal band and gauntlet along it. A red sash was wrapped around her waist, and metal boots reached up to her thighs.

"What are you looking at lover boy? You looking at the ladies?" Yang asked teasingly, her shoulder bumping his.

He blushed slightly, before coughing and responding. "I'm just looking over the other students. Wondering who will make it."

"If ya say so."

Azura shook his head, before standing with Yang and Ruby and throwing their trash away into the trash container. Making their way to where they were told to go when they left the building, they made it to a building next to the auditorium they were in yesterday, walking down a side hall into a room with the lockers. Azura nodded, remembering that they were told that their weapons would be stored here. Waving a goodbye and saying good luck, Azura left Yang and Ruby to go to their lockers, then wandered to his. Opening it up with his password, he grabbed his dust pistol, which was still in the holster, and strapped it around his waist, leaving easy access for his left hand to grab it if needed. He also grabbed his weapon of choice, a simple long sword, one with no name. It was the last part of his mother he had, other than her ghost. It was in its mecha-shifted form, which was just an arm band that he strapped on his right arm, just above his elbow, so that he could grab it very fast if it fell. He remembered his mother training him for months just for this one technique. He grabbed the extra dust magazines inside and ordered them inside of his jacket, which had pockets for each one. He had two for fire dust, two for lightning dust, and only one of ice. The other ice dust magazine in the pistol already. Transforming the weapon, he took in the simple design, the white color made the blade reflect his face. The dark yellow ribbon around the hilt gripped comfortably in his hand. Transforming it back, he slapped it in place again. His mother smiled to his side, excited to see him use her family blade.

He turned around after closing his locker, only to be knocked down by Blonde Armor, who he learned was named Jaune, courtesy of Ruby supplying a name last night. Groaning as he got back up, he saw the Roman Girl walking towards him.

"Oh my, I am so sorry!" She shuffled awkwardly, waving past him. "And sorry again, Jaune. I'll get my spear in a moment!"

Azura smiled. Her voice reminded him of his mother. "No worries. But, maybe avoid throwing spears at people?"

"Yeah, that would help. I will keep it in mind. What is your name?"

"Azura Heart. You?"

A scoff to his side alerted him to another person. He turned to see blue eyes, the left with a scar over it.

"And you are? What advice could you give Pyrrha Nikos, the four time tournament champion?"

Seeing Pyrrha cringe slightly, Azura almost sneered, deciding to bite the bait that her cold voice put out.

"I see the Schnee family is no different this time either. Glad to see the heiress to the SDC is as wonderful as her father. And besides, am I supposed to know what tournaments she was in?"

Pyrrha smiled, her green eyes gleaming for some reason. She coughed to stop the Schnee from responding.

"I'm sure Azura could offer some grand advice! Now, I must go collect my weapon from Jaune."

Pyrrha left Azura with the Schnee, her blue eyes glowing with anger as she stared him down. Azura grinned fakely, before walking off. He felt her eyes burning into his back as an announcement started, calling for all students to report to the beacon cliff for initiation.

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A few minutes later, Azura found himself lined up with other students. Ozpin was giving some speech he ignored as he thought of what he would do to get through initiation, Azura's eyes watching the Emerald Forest, the green leaves covering the ground below. It was a simple forest, but full of Grimm. He stood next to Pyrrha and a boy with a mohawk. He only listened to Ozpin towards the end, due to Pyrrha nudging him and nodding towards the man. He spoke of how partners were assigned by eye contact, and how they were to find relics in the center of the forest. Seeing everyone take their weapons out, he did the same, his weapon falling into hand. He held a hand out in a fist, stretching his arm out to Pyrrha. Seeing her confused look, he explained as he saw the Schnee get flung.

"It's a fist bump, for good luck. And maybe for being friends?"

A laugh escaped from her. "Yeah, sure." She smiled while meeting his fist with her gloved one. "That would be wonderful. See you later!"

And with that, Pyrrha was gone. So he braced himself, and once he was flung off towards the forest, he called upon his semblance. Luna raced alongside him, becoming visible and almost human, and grabbed onto him. Her "body" was cold to the touch as she wrapped her arms around his body, slowly bringing his velocity down as he neared the trees, before he found himself landing with a quiet noise as his feet touched ground. His mother faded into a semi-visible form, Azura the only one to see her again, as he deactivated his semblance. He looked around, and felt at a loss for words as he saw three Ursa majors. The big bear Grimm were sleek and had bones lining their backs and faces. Their beady red eyes were focused on him as they prepared to attack. He made eye contact with Luna and nodded, an agreement that he would use his semblance if he needed it, and pulled his pistol out.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

And with that, the three Ursa majors charged towards him with a roar. He sidestepped to the right, and continued with a roll as another Ursa brought a mighty paw down towards him, stabbing towards the shoulder of the Ursa. The blade punctured, and Azura was quick to pull the blade out, but not before taking a hit to his chest, sending him sliding across the ground. His vision shook for a moment, taking note of his aura feeling a bit weaker. Shaking his head, he looked up to see the weakened Ursa major charging at him again, the other two seemingly missing. As it charged, he fired half of his magazine of ice dust, ten slots for dust per magazine, and it froze the paw of the Ursa major. It stumbled, breaking the ice, but flipped it over onto its back. Azura took the chance he saw and ran up to it, stabbing his blade into the throat of the Ursa major, killing it.

As he rose from the ground, he looked around, seeing Luna having her ears perked. The other two majors were out there, waiting for a moment to strike. As he looked around, he cursed the bushes for being as tall as they were. The two Ursa majors leapt out from behind the trees, and he barely had time to raise his blade, hoping to mitigate a little damage as fear drove through him, before he was slapped to the side, blade flying away. He saw Luna try and fail to stop the Ursa majors, his semblance not activating without a clear mind. He groaned as he rolled on his side, trying to get up, his head spinning and his aura feeling about half gone. He got on his knees, his pistol hand shaking as he fired the rest of the magazine, missing all but two shots. While it slowed one, the other Ursa major roared as it charged, before it suddenly disappeared with a flash of light, a rumble of thunder echoing in his mind. The next thing Azura knew was that the other Ursa major was burning like a crisp, an anguished cry coming from within the flames.

A girl was approaching him when he regained his senses, and she seemed a bit fatigued by what she did. Maybe a semblance. He took time to reload his pistol with the other magazine of ice dust. She approached him and handed him his sword, watching as he mecha shifted it into the arm band, and placed it on his arm once more.

He breathed out, smiling as he made eye contact. "Thanks for the save. My name is Azura Heart, and I guess we'll be partners now?"

She raised an ebony eyebrow. "Well, try not to get yourself killed next time. My name is Pyra Sol, it's nice to meet you. And yeah, I guess we are partners now." Her voice was soft and calm as she spoke.

Pyra and Pyrrha, that'll get weird, he thought.

She took her time to look him over, so he decided to do the same. Her black hair was curly around the tips and ended at the bottom of her neck and her blue eyes shone like a frozen lake in Atlas, or what Azura remembered them looking like. She was shorter than him, about five feet tall compared to his six feet. She was also wearing dark colors, so at least Azura didn't have to feel too weird about him and Ruby being the only ones wearing dark colors at Beacon. Her black jeans fit snugly, and he would admit to looking a little too much, before looking down at her black combat boots. Finding nothing interesting about them, he looked up to see her wearing a white coat, with it splitting in the back around her waist, and not zipped up, revealing a dark undershirt. Her pale skin only exposed from the neck up, as well as her hands. Her right hand held a spear, a simple brass metal making up its shape. Leather wrapped around the entire shaft, and Azura thought that it might help with her semblance, which could seem to control lightning, and maybe fire, and that would be a strong semblance.

"Well, if you have time to stare and think, you have time to walk with me." Pyra said, smirking.

"Hey! I can't help that I was taking in your clothing. You were doing the same to me." Azura complained, feeling a bit of heat crawl up his face as he spoke.

"You got me there. Anyway, enough of that. We need to go this way." She said, pointing with a slender finger in a direction.

With a simple nod, he fell in step with her, and they were on their way. About five minutes in, the silence was getting kind of boring to Azura, so he thought he would ask some questions.

"So, what brought you to Beacon? Other than to be a huntress, I mean."

He heard her chuckle. "A personal question? Alright, I don't mind, so long as you answer a personal question in return. We are going to be partners for the next four years, so might as well get to know each other. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"Well, the main reason I'm here is to gain better control of my semblance." Pyra stated, pushing a branch aside with a hand. " That, and I always wanted to be a huntress. What about you?"

Letting the branch hit his hand as he followed, Azura responded. "I kind of just wanted to be a huntsman, it will help in my goal. Besides, what is your semblance?"

A moment of silence reigned, Azura thinking of his reason to be a huntsman. Find the grimm that killed his mother, Luna. He just hoped someone could help him possibly find what did it.

Pyra hummed in understanding. "That's fair enough. My semblance is something that I call 'Red Lightning'. I know, it sounds dumb, but it allows me to use both lightning and fire, as long as I have aura and the correct dust. I'm sure more can be done, but that's its main use. I can also use my spear as a lightning rod to have more control over the lightning aspect. Do you have your semblance unlocked?"

Azura looked at Luna, and felt his anxiety pool when she nodded, giving her okay. He breathed in and out deeply, feeling his stomach seemingly jump around.

"Well, my semblance is kind of secret. And it scares most people off. So please, just hear me out." Azura said.

Pyra responded, both confused and amused. "Honestly, making a big deal in front of someone you met just now." Despite her teasing tone, she smiled towards him nicely. "But, I'm sure I can handle what you have to say."

Azura fired up his semblance, hearing her gasp at seeing his mother just appear out of thin air. Luna smiled and waved at Pyra, and was wrapped around Azura the next second, her legs dangling loosely and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He still had no clue why she did that when he introduced her. The shock was evident on Pyra's face, showing that she had no clue what to do or say. They had stopped in a clearing, and it seemed that no Grimm would interrupt them. Pyra shook her head, wetting her lips before speaking.

"But...what? How? I don't even know what to say. What is this? Who is that?"

Smiling grimly, Azura felt the relief wash through him. At least she didn't outright run, and just seemed more confused.

"This is my semblance. I call it 'Coexistence', and it is activated and deactivated at my command. It allows me to give a visible form to ghosts and spirits, but I can see them no matter what. It's kind of a passive ability."

Pyra nodded animatedly, before she gulped and asked again. "And...who is that? Is it…?"

Azura nodded and replied. "This is Luna, and she is my mother. She's kind of the only ghost or spirit that has stayed with me longer than a few hours."

Pyra looked downwards, suddenly interested in her boots. "I...I'm sorry that I asked."

Azura laughed, much more light hearted now. He saw her confusion, and walked closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You shouldn't be looking so down in front of someone you just met! And really, there is no need to apologize. I feel perfectly happy just knowing that she will always be with me. We should get moving again, we can talk more about our semblances later."

Pyra nodded absently, before regaining her composure. "You bet we will. I refuse to have a partner that'll hold out secrets! You'll be so thankful to have me as a friend and partner."

Azura laughed once more as he watched her walk off. "Yeah, I promise." He laughed, moving to catch up. "You don't seem to be that good at social stuff Pyra. Not with a statement like that."

Before she could reply, they heard a scream and saw an Ursa go flying past them. That yell seemed more angry than anything, but as Azura and Pyra looked in that direction, they saw the black haired girl from before with a bowtie jump past them.

"Shall we check that out, partner?" Azura asked, looking at Pyra.

Pyra looked back to him and replied. "I see no reason not to."

With that, they ran off after the black haired girl, towards the fighting.


	2. Of Tree and Ruins

**AN: So, this chapter is shorter than I would have liked, but I could not find a way to write more without it being bad or having a weird stopping point. Will be trying to have longer chapters in general. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Have a nice day!**

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**Chapter 2: Of Trees and Ruins**

Racing after the black haired girl was a bit of a pain. She was hopping between tree branches, and without a keen eye, it would be hard to see her. Luckily, they were training to be huntsmen, so it wasn't as bad. After trailing her for a minute or two, they came upon an area where the trees parted, creating a mini arena of sorts. There was a Ursa that was slowly disappearing, and the black haired girl was talking to Yang.

"So, that's where you landed." Azura said, before waving. "Hey Yang!"

Looking beyond the girl, Yang spotted Azura and Pyra.

"Heya Snow! Who's the lady friend? Oh, and this is Blake, my new partner."

Azura smiled. "My lady friend," motioning to Pyra, "is named Pyra. She's my new partner for Beacon."

A wave from Pyra was all Yang could get. Blake stood, watching with a passive interest, taking in the two new people. Azura looked over this Blake person, taking note that she really liked black and white. From the black gauntlet and ribbon around her wrist to the white shirt covering her chest, and the black vest and leggings making the white shorts stand out, the black boots barely noticeable. A bow was tied in her hair, standing out with the way it was stood, and yellow eyes that reminded Azura of his own yellow eyes. Her weapon was a black mecha shift blade, with her ribbon connected to it. He wondered what its other form was. What if Pyra's spear also had another form?

Azura snapped out of his thoughts with Yang suggesting that they continue moving towards the ruins. Did everyone but him know where these ruins were? With the other three nodding their approval, they moved off in a direction. Now that all of them had encountered Grimm, there wasn't much conversation going. Not that Blake or Pyra seemed to care, they weren't that talkative. Azura felt a bit on edge, and he would rather they not encounter any more Ursa Majors, or a scarier Grimm. Once close call was enough for him.

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**.(Line Break)**

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After ten minutes of searching around and seeing only brown trees and green leaves, they finally found the ruins that they were supposed to find for the test. The gray rock and simple design stood out among the rest of the area, and Azura had never been happier to see a different color. There was gold and black chess pieces lining the outer ring of the circular ruin, the rocks and pillars housing them. The quiet was not to last long however, when they heard someone screaming from the sky. Azura blinked a few times, seeing Ruby falling. Then, Jaune came flying out of some direction, taking himself and Ruby flying into a tree, the Ruby 'look-a-like' ghost following after her. Just after that, A Ursa came sliding into the clearing, before landing, dead. The red haired girl and the green garbed guy came off of it. The poor guy was shaking before he spoke.

"Nora. Please...never do that again."

Nora was already by the relics by the time he said that, singing some song about being a queen.

"Nora!" Ren yelled out, calling her over.

She giggled, responding. "Coming Ren!"

Azura sighed, feeling bad for Ren. He almost cried for him, thinking of the lack of sleep he probably has to deal with now. Looking over, he saw Pyra grab one of the chess pieces, a gold pawn. Just when everything was calming down, Pyrrha came crashing through the trees, with a Deathstalker on her tail. Azura could have sworn a vein in his head popped from sheer frustration from seeing the mostly armored creature run towards us, it's yellow eyes focused on Pyrrha. The red marks on its armor slightly pulsing.

"Run!" Pyrrha yelled out, motioning towards us.

Yang exploded to one side, complaining that everyone should just calm down and not have some crazy thing happen for two seconds. Ruby called out to her after jumping from the tree, pointing up. Looking up, Azura saw Weiss clinging to a Nevermore, the giant hawk Grimm screeching as it flew over. Then, she fell, with Jaune jumping out of the tree he was in to catch her. Then he fell as well, with Wiess landing on his back. Azura winced, feeling his back tingle as he imagined it.

Seeing Pyrrha in the background, clearly trying to distract it, made him decide to help. Before he got to decide what to do, she got hit, flying in towards them. Azura jumped out to catch her, feeling bad for not even helping. He grunted as she flew into him, falling to his knees to properly stop them from moving, Luna floated in front of him, looking bored. Ignoring her studying the mecha weapon, which looked like a bronze and red colored spear and shield, Azura looked down at the girl in his arms, banishing thoughts of what other forms it could be. Pyrrha sagged into him with a sigh, before looking up with a dazed smile.

"I never want to do that again."

He smiled in amusement. "No promises, Pyrrha. If it helps, you were good entertainment."

She chuckled before responding. "Good to know."

Standing up, Azura dragged Pyrrha up with him. Once she was stable on her feet, he let go, hearing her give a quiet 'thank you'.

This was the moment of peace, right? Azura looked around, watching as everyone grabbed a piece. Everyone except Ruby, who was missing. Looking around, he saw her fighting the Deathstalker, her scythe shooting out what sounded like sniper dust rounds. He yelled out towards her,

"Ruby!"

That yell was all that was needed for Yang to race towards Ruby as she realized what was happening. The Nevermore cried overhead again as Ruby ran away, only to get caught by a Nevermore feather, the steel like feathers holding her down by her cloak. The ghost-Ruby tried to stop the Deathstalker from stabbing Ruby with the orange tail that loomed overhead, but it was to no avail. His semblance couldn't have even reached that far if he tried.

In a blink of an eye, Weiss was next to Ruby, white dust rapier holding her stance up, clearly scolding her for being dumb, while the Deathstalker tried to break away from the ice that trapped its tail in. Azura wondered if he was wrong about the Schnee, she clearly cared about others to some degree. A few moments after that, Jaune commented that the Nevermore was coming back around towards us. Weiss was quick to comment that running would probably be the better choice.

"It's probably the better idea." Azura said, voicing his thoughts

Ruby was quick to keep it up. "Then let's grab the artifacts that are here and make a run for it!"

Once that was done, the group of ten students ran through the other side of the clearing, just over the hill. Ruins were lined along the sides, leaving little room to move other than straight forward. They ran as fast as they could, hearing the Nevermore cry overhead again. They all gathered behind a pillar as the ruins of a tower was seen ahead, pulling their weapons out. Jaune with a white sword and shield that was a sheath, and Ren with two green SMGs that doubled as small blades. Azura shook his head, thinking of how this wasn't a good time to study weapons. The Nevermore landing atop it. As they caught their breath and looked among each other to plan, they saw the Deathstalker break through a pillar, the sound alerting them to its presence.

"Oh crap, Run!"

Jaune yelling that was enough to push them to move again. Ren called out to Nora, telling her to distract the Nevermore. After dodging more feathers, Nora complied, shooting out grenades to obscure its vision. Azura ran towards the tower, along with the others. Weiss and Nora caught up with ease, and Ren and Blake were busy, Azura glancing behind him, seeing them distracting the Deathstalker. They were still running towards them though. They slowed down for a moment along a stone bridge, the Deathstalker unwilling to try to cross it.

Azura stopped alongside Pyrrha, who had changed her spear into a rifle and was shooting at the weak points between the armor. Azura drew his pistol and sword out as Ren and Blake distracted it, shooting the entire magazine into the tail, stopping it from using it as it froze over. He chucked the magazine out and over the side of the bridge, reloading with a fire dust magazine. The Nevermore broke through the bridge behind them, leaving the four of them to deal with the Deathstalker. Pyra, Ruby, and the others were stuck on the other side, dealing with the Nevermore. A few moments of fighting later, and the last fire magazine just inserted into the pistol saw Blake disappear and fall, Nora and Jaune taking her place. Azura stopped to look behind him, seeing Blake finding a place to catch on to and make her way towards the other group. Further behind her, Azura saw the others fighting the Nevermore, with Pyra shooting a SMG, the other form of the spear, with the others towards the wings.

The fighting continued, The deathstalker breaking out of the ice on its tail, and stabbing it into the bridge. The already shaky support for the bridge on top of the tail was enough to break it loose, and everyone sprung into action. Ren ran towards the Grimm and jumped on to the tail, shooting just below the the head of the tail, watching as the deathstalker swung its tail wildly. Ren got knocked off, but not without leaving the tail head hanging loosely. Nora cried out for him as he slammed into a pillar.

Jaune struck up a on-the-spot plan, calling for Pyrrha to throw her shield at the weakened bit. It cut right through it cleanly, and the Deathstalker cried out as the tail head fell and stabbed through the armor, right into its back. Pyrrha then threw her spear at one of the eyes, stabbing through it cleanly. Her shield laid on the grass as Ren stumbled towards it, intending to grab it. Azura heard Pyrrha gasp out.

"My spear is stuck in the eye. It won't come out!"

Azura was curious as to why she was holding her hand out, but had no time to dwell on it. Jaune cried out a moment after.

"Nora! Jump on my shield!"

Nora saluted and ran towards him, jumping towards the shield as Jaune pushed her up. He gasped afterwards, stumbling on to his rear from the weight. Nora crashed into the Deathstalker, pushing the tail head through to the other side. She landed on the ground as the bridge fell apart, Jaune and Pyrrha making their way past it quickly. As the Grimm took the bridge with him, Azura jumped on it, grabbed Pyrrha's spear, and dragged it upwards to rip it out, and jumped off towards the ground, rolling a few times before stopping on his back. He groaned, feeling his aura shimmer in and out, feeling weak. Nora grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up.

"Up you go, you lazy-butt! You can't be lazy, only Ren can be like that!"

Looking around, he saw Jaune and Pyrrha next to each other, dusting themselves off. Ren was laying down, clearly not wanting to stand up. Walking towards the other three, Azura stabbed the spear into the ground next to the shield. No words were shared as they watched Ruby slingshot herself with the help of Blake and Weiss. The Nevermore cried out as Ruby dragged it up the cliff, glyphs lining her path as rose petals burst forth from Ruby. In just a few seconds, the Nevermore was decapitated, disappearing as it fell, and Ruby was atop the cliff. Nora shook at Ren's side, before spreading her arms open above her with a jump.

"That was awesome! I wanna do that!"

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Once they were all assembled in the auditorium area from yesterday, Azura realized just how tired he was. As team Cardinal was formed, the hulking brute of a redhead as leader, Azura saw that it was some of his recent allies up on stage.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the gold rook pieces. From this day forth, you will be team Juniper, led by Jaune Arc! Congratulations, young man."

Jaune had to be led away by his new team, as he didn't seem capable of moving at the moment. Azura could help but laugh at his shock, and Pyra was at his side, rolling her eyes at Jaune. She was amused, if the smirk on her face said anything.

"And lastly, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the gold knight pieces. You will work together as team Ruby, led by Ruby Rose."

Azura would have commented on how Wiess seemed in total disbelief, but he heard what Ozpin said. Lastly. As in the last team to be formed. As confusion wrapped his brain, he looked at Pyra. Seeing her stare at him with a similar face didn't help the butterflies stop in his stomach.

"You are all dismissed. Can mister Heart and miss Sol please stay behind? Oh, and team JNPR, stay here. You might be needed."

As students shuffled off, some looking at Azura and Pyra, team RWBY wandered by, Ruby and Yang stopping to wish them luck.

Azura jolted back to life, and seeing Pyra still thinking, grabbed her arm. She shook back to life, letting Azura lead her to Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. They stopped before them, Azura finding his throat dry as he looked at Ozpin.

"Now." Ozpin started. "I do believe the truth should be said here. You were the only pair to grab the gold pawn piece. In fact, the number was uneven to begin with."

Azura nodded, his eyes hardening with a odd determination. Pyra suddenly paying acute attention now. 'What happens now?"

"Well, as Headmaster, I have two choices. Have you leave and give you permission to start again next year, or have a team take you on as a plus two." He said, waving a arm to team JNPR. "And I have called team Juniper here to ask if they would do so. They would be the perfect team to have this sort of thing happen."

Clearly, Professor Goodwitch thought otherwise, based upon the scowl on her face. Team JNPR brightened up, understanding what was being asked.

Jaune stepped forward. "Of course we will take them! They were a huge help during that final fight! And we're friends now, we can't just leave them."

Azura felt excitement bubble up, watching Nora grab Pyra in a bear hug, the poor girl looking pale as she was hugged. Ren stepped towards them to help Pyra out. Pyrrha stepped towards Azura, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, smiling warmly towards him. Ozpin cleared his throat after watching the display.

"As I figured you would answer. Very well. Congratulations mister Heart, miss Sol. We will discuss what will be different for you and team JNPR in a few days. Continue with the rest of your evening and find your dorm room. Your new scrolls will tell you where to go."

He turned to Azura. "I do hope accepting you based on your reccomendation was a wise idea, mister Heart. I do think your mother would be proud of you."

Azura never got to answer, Ozpin already walking off, clearly done with what he had to say. Luna fluttered in front of him, a warm smile on her face showing that she agreed with what he had to say.

Professor Goodwitch approached them, her scowl gone. She handed a scroll to Azura, and another to Pyra. "These are school scrolls. They will do whatever you may want from a normal scroll, with a few extra additions. And your belongings will be in the room when you get there. Have a nice night."

And she was off, walking fast to catch up to Ozpin. Azura let a smile grow on his face, turning towards Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Thank you so much. I don't know what me and Pyra would do if you didn't take us."

Pyra nodded. "Yes. Thank you for doing that."

"Aw, shucks. It was nothing, you guys." Jaune said, blushing.

Pyrrha held her arm out, with a fist waiting. She stared at Azura, looking embarrassed. He smiled, returning the fist bump. She smiled back. It was good to be on a team, even if it wasn't officially.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The walk to the dorm was a quiet one, the sky starting to darken with a look outside the windows. Nora was quiet, something Azura felt would be a rare occasion. Azura realized just how much Beacon looked like some hotel in Vale. It had soft red carpet flooring, lights lining the walls on both sides, and windows along the side that looked outside. The walls were a pale green, and left enough space for three people to walk comfortably next to each other. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Pyra were ahead, searching for the dorm room, while Azura, Ren, and Nora walked behind them. Luna was following, looking about as nostalgic as a ghost could be. There wasn't much variance between the halls, and Azura wondered if it would be easy to get lost with everything looking the same.

They stopped after a few minutes, once they found what they were looking for. Jaune pulled out his scroll and put it to the small scanner above the door, the device beeping as it allowed them entry. They made their way inside, and upon turning the overhead light on, let out small sounds of surprise as they saw the size of the room, while Luna floated around, taking it in. Opposite of the door they entered from was a glass window, a desk in front of it. The beds were spaced apart, two on each side. To the right was a large closet with sizable cabinets, the slots holding the luggage team JNPR brought with them. Azura spotted his luggage, and what he assumed was Pyra's, to the side. On the left was another door, one that read 'Bathroom', most likely for showers and other needs. He turned his head once Ren spoke up, seeing him reading from a note that was on the desk.

"We apologize for not having the proper materials for housing six people in a four person dorm room, and we will be aiming to fix that within the coming days. For now, two sleeping bags have been prepared for the new additions. Thank you for understanding. From, the Beacon Supply Commitee."

Jaune chuckled. "There's a 'Beacon Supply Commitee'? They're probably some ninja organization from a comic, and they go around supplying everything without being seen."

Azura thought that was actually kind of likely. He couldn't help the smile from growing on his face thinking about it. He walked up and grabbed one of the sleeping bags, feeling his sore body cry out in joy at the thought. Pyra looked a little less happy, probably wishing for a bed. Pyrrha and Nora went into the bathroom after grabbing their nightwear, with Pyra joining them soon after laying the sleeping bag down near the closet area. The three boys went about their business, Ren and Jaune choosing their beds, Ren taking the one on the right wall and Jaune taking the one near the window, on the left side. Azura took his bag and placed it on the left side of the room, next to the wall that led back out to the halls.

The girls exited the bathroom, all wearing their nightwear, and took their beds, Pyrrha next to Jaune, Nora next to Ren, and Pyra walking back to the sleeping bag. They were all exhausted, each of them going under the covers and falling asleep pretty fast. The boys took the bathroom, with Azura glad that his mother could repsect his privacy, all facing away from each other, and changed as well. Compared to Pyrrha's silk pajamas and Nora's pink and white nightwear with sloths on it, Azura and Ren were similar to Pyra's clothing, wearing sweatpants and a simplistic shirt. They did raise an eyebrow at Jaune's bunny suit, but were too tired to comment on it.

They left, Jaune and Ren taking their beds. Azura sat on the sleeping bag, taking out his private scroll that was given to him, figuring that the school scroll wouldn't be recognized. He opened the messaging app, and sent a quick text to the ones who helped him out with his choice of clothing, the 'Adel Botique', thanking them again for helping him out with the reccomendation. He was once again glad for his mother having the good favor of some families, even in death. Azura then remembered that they spoke of their daughter, Coco, and how she would help him out if needed, but that she was on a mission when initiation started. He'll have to search for her later on, if only to say hello.

With that done, he put the scroll down next to him, and laid down on the sleeping bag, making himself comfortable. He fell alseep, listening to the soft breathing of the others, happy to be allowed this chance to become a huntsman.


	3. Beacon Academy

**Author's note: I am so sorry to not have this prepared faster. I think it was still made in relatively good time, but I have been busy with college life, and I need to focus on that more than anything. Don't expect this to be gone, talking to the few people who have followed this story, which, thank you so much for that! I hope I can entertain you with this story. Anyway, I will have to slow the story down more, since I need to focus on real life obligations, so I hope you understand. I will still try to get chapter four out when I can.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! Have a good day!**

**.**

**.(Starting chapter)**

**.**

**Chapter 3: Beacon Academy**

Azura woke up to the shuffling of feet going towards the bathroom. Pyrrha made her way to the bathroom with a yawn, before closing the door. A groan exited his mouth, his back sore from sleeping on the floor. He stretched and pushed himself up into a crouching position, checking his scroll, seeing a message from Coco's mother telling him to visit if he needed anything, sending a quick response back, saying that he would. Before shutting the scroll screen off, he checked the date, seeing that it was Monday, April 15th, and that it was currently seven in the morning.

The first day of Beacon filled Azura with excitement. He had never been a student that went to school, since he was homeschooled by Luna. He wondered if he would be taught anything new, hoping that the kingdoms were something they would teach. His mother taught him about Atlas and Vale, seeing as she traveled in those places the most, but he knew very little about Mistral and Vacuo.

Azura stood up, hearing the shower running. He walked towards the closet area, careful to not wake anyone else just yet, as his shadow danced on the wall, the dawning sun casting a light blue and orange hue across the sky. Looking around, he spotted the Beacon uniforms hanging on the wall to his left. There was at least one extra uniform for everyone, including himself and Pyra, Azura grabbing one for himself. He returned from the closet, and sat on the now empty bed that Pyrrha claimed the night before. He spent the time by looking at the uniform, the clothing reminding him of a tuxedo. The black suit was lined with gold, giving it a small bit of a regal air, and was worn over a blue vest and white shirt, with a red tie to finish it off. The black dress shoes were shined and ready to be put on. A cough cut his study of the uniform off before it could get any further, and he looked to see Pyrrha standing there, a questioning look in her green eyes.

"Why are you studying the uniform?"

"Boredom."

A sound of acceptance left her mouth before she responded. "Well, the shower is open. Don't take too long though, we have four other people who will want to take one."

He waved her off, claiming the bathroom for himself. He took his shower at a decently fast pace, cleaning himself and getting into the uniform within ten minutes. He exited the bathroom, seeing Pyrrha playing around on the Beacon scroll, and the others still asleep. He took the time to look at the uniform that Pyrrha had on, the brown jacket playing off of the tan vest and white shirt that were similar to the boys uniform, same with the dress shoes she wore. The difference being the red plaid skirt and black stockings, and Azura mentally noted how good Pyrrha looked with stockings. He saw how she was still wearing the circlet on her head, keeping her red hair in check, his eyes briefly meeting hers as she looked him over as well, curious to see the male uniform.

The next to wake was Ren, thanking Azura for the uniform as he walked towards the bathroom. The process was repeated as Ren woke Nora up, struggling with waking her up for a few minutes, before she grumbled and got out of bed. She looked angry to exist, her mood changing once she came back out, looking as cheerful as ever. Azura laughed lightly seeing the change, before returning to his own Beacon scroll, looking through to see the new additions. Seeing a app just for aura levels of team JNPR with their plus two annoyed Azura, who wondered why a normal scroll didn't have such a function. Jaune was woken up next, the boy looking silly in the bunny suit, and Pyrrha blushed like crazy, until he left for the bathroom, uniform in hand.

Azura had to ask. "What was the blushing about?"

"Well, it's the mascot for the cereal I do photoshoots or. It's awkward to see it up close." Pyrrha responded.

"Never knew you did that. Are you famous or something?"

Azura looked up to see Ren and Nora staring at him like he had lost his mind.

"What?"

Pyrrha was the first to answer his obvious ignorance. "Do you not know who I am?"

"No."

"How much do you know about Mistral? And do you keep up with the news?"

"Only what my mother told me, which isn't a lot. And the local news, but that's it. Why?"

A blink of her eyes was his answer, Ren filling the silence with a verbal answer.

"You are similar to Jaune in that regard then. She is quite important over there."

"I see. I'll just continue to not care then. She must have come to Beacon for a reason."

And that was that, Jaune coming out of the shower, looking more prepared for the day. Azura finally got off of the bed he was on to wake Pyra up. She awoke with a start, her blue eyes flashing open.

"Morning." Azura stated, a small smile on his face, lightly dropping her uniform on her lap.

"Good morning." Pyra yawned, her hair covering one of her eyes.

By the time Pyra got out of the shower, Ren said that it was seven fifty. Class wasn't starting soon, so they decided that now would be a good time to place their belongings.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

It was eight thirty in the morning, and as it turned out, none of them had very many things to place around. Pyra and Ren brought nothing but clothes with them, and Nora only had a worn out plush sloth. Jaune had a small container, that, when opened, contained issues of some comic series that he reads. Pyrrha had a small picture frame with a photo of herself with what Azura assumed was her mother and older sister. She placed that on a small mecha shift nightstand that she brought with her. Azura also had a picture frame containing a photo, one of his mother and himself when he was younger. She held him in her lap, a simple pair of leather pants and a brown shirt being worn, with her flowing white hair sliding down her back, her fox ears relaxed and her tail slightly wrapped around him.

He felt her ghost give him a motherly kiss on the cheek, her cold skin brushing against his warm, human, one. He shook out of the nostalgia trip when Pyrrha came over to him, her eyes warm as she spoke.

"I have space on my night stand if you want me to put your photo on it."

He smiled. "Thank you for letting me do so."

She took the photo from him. "Your mother is very pretty! And you two look very similar."

As her back was turned, she couldn't see him look away with a forlorn look, Luna placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, thanks." he coughed. "And are you saying I look feminine?"

That got a laugh from the group, who had shuffled close to see his photo, while Pyrrha hovered, horrified. Pyra nodded her agreement, giving Azura a sidelong glance. He shook his head 'yes' to her unsaid question, probably wanting to know if he was fine with the topic.

The girl was way too friendly and trusting towards him.

"They do look quite similar. And he was joking Pyrrha, you can place the photo down now."

"R-right. I knew that!"

Once it was placed down, Nora asked the question that Azura knew someone would ask.

"Wait, are you a faunus? Where is your trait? Your mother is a fox faunus and you seem to be human!"

Azura nodded. "You are half correct, I am actually half faunus, but I was born without a trait. My mother, Luna, always told me when I was a kid to never forget that I was faunus, to be proud of it. I don't intend to let her down."

Nora shouted with delight as she rushed him with a hug, and he didn't crash to the ground from the force because Luna crashed in from his other side with a hug. Azura had never felt so 'over-hugged' as he did right now, so he pushed Nora off, with help from Ren, with a laugh.

A crash from outside the door drew their attention, Jaune walking over and opening the door to see what was happening. When everyone was stacked by the door, all they saw was Weiss running down the hall.

"Ahhh! We're gonna be late to our first class!" Ruby cried out, rose petals flying as she ran by, Yang and Blake going after her. Ghost-Ruby giggled and moved to float alongside, Azura noting that she could possibly speak.

Jaune blinked a few times before speaking. "What time is it?"

Ren responded, his voice calm. "Five minutes to nine."

"When and where do we have class?" Jaune asked afterwards.

Pyrrha answered. "Grimm studies on the first floor of the Lecture halls at nine."

Azura snorted with laughter. "Shall we run after them then?"

The question didn't even need to be answered as they all rushed through the door, running through the halls and following the rose petals. They all ran as best they could, trying their best to not get in the way of the others. Nora roared with laughter, clearly delighted to be running like their lives depended on it.

"Come on, slowpokes! Run faster, Jaune! We have to work on your endurance, oh leader of mine!"

Ignoring his personal space, Nora slowed down to match his speed and picked Jaune up bridal style, picking her speed up once more. Nora was made of pure energy, that was what Azura decided was her semblance

Once they made it out of the dorm rooms, they booked it towards the main tower of Beacon, which had a central four-way stone path that they were running on towards the lecture halls. There was a statue in the center that he didn't have much time to study on his way through, and shallow ponds in the four corners of the walkway. His breath was getting heavier, but he knew he was enjoying the day one experience of school life. Luna was at his side, floating alongside him, her eyes full of joy. She flashed her fingers with a number three times. It was two minutes to nine, and they had just entered the lecture halls.

The building was actually quite similar to the dorm room halls, and they found the room they needed with relative ease. They opened the door and shuffled inside, their breathing a bit ragged, and Jaune was back on his own feet by now. They snuck inside with little grace, but the stout and fat man didn't even seem to notice. The seats were raised, and they sat behind team RWBY. The man was going on with some story, not that Azura really cared. He was grown up with a education of normal studies, Grimm, and how to survive, so he knew how most Grimm worked. Or, the Grimm he was taught about were the ones he knew.

He was going on about some Beowolves or something, and Azura was trying not to nod off, even forty minutes later, only stopping because Pyra was nudging him.

"This is important, you should be paying attention. I know we were taught the basics, but still, Professor Port could be teaching valuable lessons." She whispered.

Azura whispered back. "I was taught how to kill these basic Grimm and some more advanced ones by my mother. She taught me all that she knew." Glancing at Luna, he saw her attempting shadow puppets without shadows, and suppressed a smile.

Pyra sighed quietly. "How can you be so sure that you don't ne-" 

"I do, sir!"

After taking in Pyra's 'we will talk about this later' look, Azura looked down to see Weiss looking absolutely livid. And it was wonderful to see the cold-hearted Schnee actually heated, in Azura's opinion. So she could feel.

"Well then, why don't we find out!"

Professor Port's voice rang out, and a cage was suddenly to his side. Those supply ninjas were at it again! Azura decided he would catch one at some point. Weiss was dismissed to get her combat gear, leaving Azura with the quiet to think.

The Grimm inside the cage was the Boar type Grimm, the Boarbatusk. It's bone-like horns were sharp and deadly, and armor lined its sides and back, and it was hard to pierce the armor of a Boarbatusk. Except it had one huge weakness, that being the tunnel vision it gets when charging. It allowed for a huntsman to simply sidestep it and flip it upwards on its backside, and a simple stab to its exposed chest is enough to kill it.

She returned and readied herself for the cage to open. He heard Ruby and her team cheering for her, a warm smile gracing his lips as he looked at it. What a good set of team members she had.

"Ruby! I am trying to focus!" Weiss practically killed Ruby with a glare.

Azura had a single thought. What a selfish snob.

"Oh...sorry." Ruby said quietly.

The beast was released a few seconds after, and Weiss sidestepped it with ease, only barely missing the correct timing needed to trip the Grimm. Ruby once more cheered for her, and Azura had to wince when Weiss lost her focus, dropping her weapon. Even he could feel bad for the Schnee.

The girl recovered with the grace of a dancer, moving swiftly to grab her weapon again. The Boarbatusk charged once again, with Weiss stopping it with her family semblance, the glyph popping into existence. It broke, the Boarbatusk flipping on its back as Weiss darted forward, her rapier piercing its heart. The fight was over, ended within seconds.

With that, Professor Port ended his hour long class. Weiss practically stomped out of the class, with Ruby trying to give chase.

"Sheesh, what's her problem?" Jaune questioned, his voice low.

As students shuffled out of the lecture hall, either with a free hour or another class, Azura checked the class schedule. The schedule they had placed them in a history class for the tenth hour, and he let out a small cry of joy.

"What're you so excited about?" Pyra asked.

Azura grinned. "We have history next!"

Ren walked over to join in. "I didn't take you for a person who liked history. And you clearly didn't seem that interested in Grimm Studies."

Azura laughed, feeling Pyra's gaze burning into him. "Well, I've already learned a lot of what first year Grimm Studies might hold from my mother, so this class isn't entirely needed. But with history, I only know Vale history and a bit of Atlas history. It'll be fun to learn new stuff!"

They joined the rest of team JNPR out in the halls, taking a slower pace to the third, and top, floor of the lecture halls. They had ten minutes until the next class, and it was in the same building anyway.

"So, let me get this straight." Ren started off, looking slightly confused. "You were taught about all this stuff on the Grimm by your mother, but she never thought to teach you history?"

Azura thought of how funny it would be if Ren could see the pout she was putting on right now, before replying.

"Well, yeah. She deemed that to be more important than learning the history of all four kingdoms. But, she at least taught me the history of Vale, and what she knew of Atlas."

Not to mention that she really only traveled to Atlas and Vale.

"Did she teach you based off of memory?" Pyrrha asked, looking over at him past Jaune.

"Yep. I would say she was pretty well-versed in what she taught."

Azura was sure that Ren would ask another question, but when he looked over, the boy was missing. Nora had dragged him to the left of Pyra, and the three were 'discussing' something about pancakes, or entertaining Nora with the topic, he wouldn't know.

"So, all of your knowledge is the same as your mother?" Jaune asked.

Azura nodded. "Pretty much. In defense of her though, she certainly knew her stuff, being a huntress and all."

"Do you come from a family of huntsmen?" Pyrrha inquired, her red ponytail bobbing slightly as they went up the stairs leading to the third floor.

Azura was silent for a moment before answering. "Yeah."

Well, his mother was the only family he knew. So, he technically wasn't lying. Didn't stop the slight amount of guilt from building up. Pyrrha and Jaune smiled at him, and he sorely wished they didn't, it just made him feel bad for lying. They entered the room and took seats in the second row on the left. Azura in the one closest to the wall, Nora the closest to the steps. Pyra was separated from her by Ren, and she seemed relieved to not talk about pancakes anymore. Team RWBY came in, Ruby quietly taking the same seat as Azura, just in the first row instead. That was followed by Blake, Yang, and then Weiss. The Schnee 'Princess' seemed to not be feeling as grumpy.

A man came speeding in through the door, and Azura could've sworn he was rapidly muttering about coffee under his breath. He briskly went through his bag, collecting what he would need for the class, before he looked up and spoke.

"Hello class! My name is Doctor Oobleck, not Professor. I worked hard to get what I needed to become one, and I would prefer to be called with my correct title. Now, let us get started with a basic topic, one that we will be covering for the following two weeks, that being the history of Vale."

Azura felt his heart sink and his head droop. He knew it was important, but he was hoping for a topic that would be new to him. Pyrrha patted his shoulder with a hand, looking amused. He groaned quietly, slumping his body backwards into the chair.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The hour was up and they were released, Azura's scroll saying that it was eleven. The first day was not to be a free one however, as Doctor Oobleck assigned homework, asking them to write about the origins of the kingdom of Vale. A look at the schedule showed that they had the next two hours to themselves, then Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch at two, and going for three hours in total.

Team JNPR plus two and team RWBY exited the lecture halls together, other classes still in progress, most likely for the older students. Upon discussing what they wished to do, they decided to head to the library that was nearby.

The walk was short, and almost went without issue, until Pyra spoke up near the entrance.

"Can Azura and I have a moment? You guys can go on ahead."

They agreed and shuffled on by, with Yang giving her a wink and a thumbs up. Pyra blushed slightly at the implication. Luna smirked with mirth before joining Ghost-Ruby in entering the library. Azura wondered as to when those two decided to know each other, and if he should do anything about it.

"Well, what did we need to talk about in private?" Azura asked, refocusing on the reason he was still out here.

She turned to him, and this look that demanded his attention was in her eyes.

"Despite what you may know about the Grimm, should you really be so certain that you know every single thing about the Grimm we will be learning about?"

Azura felt a need to defend himself, his pride flaring up slightly. "I am certain in my knowledge that the Grimm we will be learning about in that class is something that I am already quite familiar with."

Pyra's left eye twitched in annoyance, before she huffed. "Look, I am not here to argue with you. I'm actually quite worried that you might be underestimating the Grimm. Will you at least put in the effort to pay attention?"

Azura looked down, a bit of shame on his face. Almost arguing with his partner is not something he should do, not for something this small.

"Okay." he said, looking up. "I'll be sure to keep up with the topics."

Pyra smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. Let's go find our friends."

He gave a half-hearted hum.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, beyond you, Pyrrha, Ruby, and maybe Yang, I'm not so sure I am friends with the others."

"What? Why would you say that? Ren, Nora, and Jaune like you! Blake is quiet, and hasn't seemed to interact with any one of us, and Weiss is-oh...this is about her?"

"Yeah." Azura answered.

Pyra sighed. "What's the big deal with that? It's been one day, and you're acting like she wronged you."

"She's a Schnee. That's reason enough, not like she does much to help herself with that attitude of hers."

"And how different are you acting?!"

Azura felt his anger grow a little. "Don't compare me to her. Look, the SDC have wronged the Faunus for so long. How would me calling her out for what she is make me the bad guy?"

Pyra physically growled. "Alright, fine. Be that way! You clearly won't hear me beyond your bias against her. You want to compare her to her family instead of her character? Fine! Maybe I was wrong to partner with you."

And with that, she walked off, anger rolling off her in waves. Azura failed to see her problem, walking away from the library entrance, back towards the Beacon tower. After a few minutes of wandering with his thoughts to keep him company, he finally came back to his senses when he bumped into something, finding himself in a closed off garden, away from prying eyes. Other than Headmaster Ozpin, who seemed slightly surprised to find Azura there.

"Well, I hardly expected to find one here in the gardens on the first day of the academic year."

"Oh, Headmaster Ozpin! I'm sorry to have bumped into you. I was just wandering aimlessly when it happened." Azura said frantically.

"It's hardly a problem. And please, call me Ozpin when in a casual setting. Now, what seems to be your problem? You seemed quite lost in thought, angry ones at that." Ozpin said, gesturing towards a bench as he sat down.

Azura took a seat, taking a deep breath, as to not snap at the Headmaster.

"I...well, me and my partner have gotten into a argument."

Ozpin hummed. "It seems to be a common thing to argue with partners on the first day this year." He said, chuckling. "Just a few hours ago, Miss Rose was trying to figure out why Miss Schnee was angry with her. While the argument is over, it does seem like they have yet to talk about it."

Azura looked down, feeling calmer, before responding. "I guess it is a bit common. Pyra thinks I am being biased towards the Schnee, and we argued for a bit before she left."

"Well, calling her by her family name in that manner will certainly cause problems."

Azura looked up, confused. "What for?"

Ozpin shook his head. "If you refuse to see her as anything but a Schnee, would I be correct to assume you have some reason to dislike her family?"

Azura breathed out, feeling the need to be defensive. "Of course I do! The unfair treatment of Faunus, no, the unfair treatment of their workers in general is barbaric."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?! Of course there is mo-"

Azura froze, realizing what had just happened. "You tricked me, sir." He said, looking at the gray haired man.

Ozpin smirked, tapping his cane on his boot once. "I have no idea what you mean. I simply helped you find the wrong part of your argument."

He stood up, gathering his mug of coffee, and turned around to look Azura in the eye. Azura could have sworn the man seemed older than he looked.

"I want you to think of a few things, Azura. I believe that you have the ability to become a good Huntsman, and I know that you are hiding your semblance. Do not worry, it is not obvious to those who don't think of it, but perhaps you shouldn't look like you are trying to communicate with a wall with your eyes."

He sighed. "But, that does not mean you are perfect, despite what I think your potential is. You are prideful, perhaps too much so. Sometimes, you have these notions about something, and refuse to think of it any other way. This problem you have with Miss Schnee? You believe her to be exactly like her company policies?"

Azura nodded.

"Disregard that notion. Looking at Miss Schnee, I do not see a Schnee. I see a teenager who wishes to change the image that her family name has, so she is fiercely protective of it. She knows of the wrongs her family name has caused, and despite knowing that, she is willing to hold the burden to cleanse the name." Ozpin coughed, clearing his throat. "And, we have cameras you know. Not everywhere, privacy is a thing, but I saw the comments you made to Miss Schnee before Initiation. You are entitled to an opinion, but what you displayed...well, I will be honest. They were unfair to her."

"I never thought of it like that. It's just...my family is Faunus." Azura said, voicing his thoughts.

Ozpin smiled, a bit of pity in his eyes. "And that is perfectly fine. If I recall, your mother, Luna, was a person who knew no family. It is possible that she had some, but she never found out. Your father, Rex, was the only taste of family she had. It is a tragedy that he died before you were born."

Azura let the excitement show on his face. "You knew my mother? And my father?"

"I know very little about your father, so I apologize. But, I was actually a friend of Luna Heart, back when we were both students."

Azura was about to respond, but Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground and spoke first.

"However, that is not why I bring this up. Rex was a human, and Luna was a faunus. That makes you a half-Faunus, and while I support you in your desire to want to change the way Faunus are treated, you are doing it the wrong way. Hating those that are simply marked with blood spilt by their ancestors is not fair to that person. They have not done the deeds of their past family members."

Ozpin bent down, placing the cane down for a moment to grab his shoulder. Azura looked with his yellow eyes into Ozpin's brown eyes. "I want you to take some time to think of how you can look at Miss Schnee as Weiss, who happens to be a Schnee, and not that she is only a Schnee. Look at her actions around others, but do not label her. She is her own person, as are you. I have made many mistakes in my time, young man. I do not want to say that you should not make a mistake, but I simply want to help you fix your flaws as a person. That _is_ what a school is for."

And with that, Ozpin stood up, taking his cane once more. He turned to leave, and was stopped by Azura calling out to him.

"Wait, Headmaster!"

"If it is about the odd situation you are in, that being a part of a official team, but not in a actual team, rest assured. We will be talking about what duties you and Miss Sol will be able to do soon enough. For now, please think over my previous words. Have a good day Mister Heart, and remember, it is currently 11:30 a.m., and you have combat class at two."

With that, Azura was left alone in the private gardens.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura woke up after being shook, seeming to have fallen asleep at some point. He groaned, finally finding out how uncomfortable sleeping on a bench was. He stood up, and found Ren looking at him.

"Hey."

"What are you going to do about Pyra?"

"Hey, cut me some slack, I just woke up."

Ren sighed, but he didn't seem angry or anything. "Okay. Tell me on the way to the cafeteria. We have fourty minutes until combat class, with Professor Goodwitch."

As they walked, Azura spoke up.

"We got in an argument. And no, I don't need someone to tell me what I did wrong. Headmaster Ozpin showed me what I had done wrong. And he's right. I...well, I was being unfair to Weiss. Oh no, does she know?"

"Weiss? No, Pyra didn't say a word to Weiss. But remember, Weiss already knows what you think of her. Or, what you thought she was. If it makes you feel better, I am glad that you have sorted your thoughts out."

"Thanks, Ren."

He nodded, and they walked in a peaceful silence to the food court. When they reached it, they entered and Azura went to grab something to eat along the way, a simple salad and a bottle of water. They sat down, Ren on his scroll. After a few minutes, he spoke.

"Alright. I was just telling everyone on the team what we were doing. They'll meet us on the way. Would you prefer to talk to Pyra in private?"

Azura had just finished taking a drink of water when he answered. "Not yet. I don't want to avoid it…"

"You would just prefer to figure out what you want to say?"

"Yeah. And I can't believe this is all on the first day of classes, quite the mess, huh?"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "You can say that. It cannot be unexpected though, so I am sure it is not bad."

Azura nodded, glad that Ren was a good source for a voice of reason, and went back to eating. At 1:45 p.m., Ren left to join everyone, giving Azura a quiet 'goodbye'. A few minutes later, Azura threw his trash out, and left as well, going at a brisk pace to make his way to the training halls on time. Once he made it to the halls, he saw students walking out of the locker rooms, weapons and combat gear in hand, so he figured he would do the same. He went in, grabbed his sword, and to his surprise, found his part-casual, part-combat, gear in there as well.

Looking around, he found private stalls to change in, also realizing that this was not the same place as the original locker room, and that only guys were here.

He walked towards the private stalls, grabbing the first free one he could find. As he left the stall once more, and placed his school clothes in the locker. He felt more comfortable in his darker clothing, his black and red sweatshirt falling snugly into place, and his navy blue jeans were just comfortable to him.

He made his way to the center of the building, taking note that he was correct in thinking this was multipurpose. It was the same place that Headmaster Ozpin held his speech two days ago. Looking around, he found groups of students in the first few rows of the bleachers, all wearing their combat gear. Team JNPR were sitting with team RWBY to their side, seeing them with the help of Ren waving a arm lazily at him.

As he walked up the steps to reach them, he was stopped by Pyra, she was shifting on her feet nervously, but was still able to make eye contact with him.

"Can we talk?"

Azura agreed readily, bringing her to a empty bleacher, away from everyone.

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you, and-" Pyra said.

She was about to continue, but Azura put a hand to her shoulder to silence her.

"No, I should be the one to apologize. I ran into Headmaster Ozpin, and he gave me some advice. Advice that I should have known for a long time. I was being unfair to you, and to Weiss. I was too prideful and arrogant to admit that I was in the wrong, and I acted in a manner that I shouldn't have, and for that, I am deeply sorry. Can we be partners again?"

He looked up to see a smile on her lips. "We were always partners, Azura. One argument should not be enough to stop that. But, what will you do with Weiss?"

"I'll apologize to her as well. Our interactions weren't the best. But, I will wait until she and Ruby make up for whatever reason they argued for."

Pyra nodded, then nudged him and pointed in one direction. He ignored Luna sitting down next to him, and looked over to see Professor Goodwitch had walked onto the stage, her voice reaching far to the students sitting around.

"Welcome to combat class. I am Professor Goodwitch, and I will be teaching you how to better yourself; in combat, with certain environments, aura, and even your semblances. I will be blunt, this is the most important class that we have to offer, and if I were to catch you not paying attention, I will take action."

She let her sharp gaze run over all of the students, making sure that they were paying attention.

"Now, there are important matters to be attended to that were not handled earlier, so I will be having only four students fight against each other this time. However, I will be having an extended class tomorrow for the rest of you who will not fight, since you are the last of the first year classes to be here each day. Consider this a short class, one that will not happen fequently. Now, shall we begin?"

Not waiting to be answered, Professor Goodwitch had her scroll in hand, a overhead screen turning on, with two boxes that held a question mark in it. Below, there were bars that were currently at full capacity, labeled as 'Aura'.

"Now, let's see who will be facing off."

The first box flashed, and showed Ruby in it, while the other did the same, and showed Azura in the other. Azura threw on his best deadpan look he could.

"Honestly, fighting against the prodigy? What terrible luck."

"Good luck!" Pyra said as he stood up.

Azura chuckled. "Right. Thanks."

He stepped on to the arena with Ruby, Professor Goodwitch leaving on another set of stairs. Before they seperated, Ruby spoke to him.

"Hey, let's have some fun this match!"

"You bet." Azura replied.

As she walked away, ghost-Ruby watching her go as she stood next to Yang. At least she hasn't noticed my semblance to seeing ghosts and stuff, he thought. He knew he would have to deal with it at some point, though. Speaking of ghosts, Azura looked over at Luna and shook his head. He wasn't ready to have his semblance be shown off. She pouted, but agreed anyway, moving off to the side. Ruby turned around after making it halfway between the center of the arena and the edge of it, Azura making his way to the same area, but opposite of her.

"The fight ends when the first student reaches 15% aura, knocked outside the arena barriers, or is found unable to continue fighting. Are both fighter ready?" Upon their agreement, Goodwitch looked to her scroll, and pressed a button. "Begin!"

Azura had sword and pistol in his hands within a second, with a lightning magazine in already. He watched her for as long as he was allowed, before she zoomed towards him at a speed that he could barely keep up with, dodging to the side as she slashed her scythe where he was. He barely had any time at all to prepare himself when she moved again, managing to parry her weapon to the side through luck more than anything. He shot two bullets, the lightning dust being a shock to her nerves, but she held on to her weapon, taking it in both hands and shooting a point blank sniper dust round, which sent him flying.

Recovering as fast as he could, knowing he could not afford to lose time, he saw how far of a distance she was from him. A glance at the board told him that she was at 92%, while he was already at 93%. Another round of sniper fire came at him bouncing off of his aura, and Azura knew that the rounds were too fast for him to stop until he got closer. He started sprinting towards her, taking another two shots, his aura at 72% when he got to her. Shooting twice at her, he hit her leg, seeing the jolt stopping her leg from reacting as fast, Azura taking his chance to slash at her aura. When she could, her semblance boosted her forward, her blade slicing towards his pistol hand, which Azura dodged with all he could.

He was suddenly very glad for all those grueling training days his mother put him through. Giving chase, they followed the same routine for a small amount of time, slowly chipping away at each other. After a minute of this, Azura learned that Ruby had the stamina of a goddess, his breathing starting to be ragged, while she simply seemed to be slightly short of breath. Rose petals were everywhere, with the older ones wilting and dissappearing rapidly. He stood in the center of the arena, watching her like a hawk while he caught his breath somewhat. His aura was at 47%, and he was glad Ruby seemed to have a smaller aura pool, hers being at 32%. Scratch that, he was at 40%, the little minx just shot him! He shot a mock pout at her as she stuck her tongue out.

Feeling prepared to go back at it, he ran towards her, shooting another three shots of lighting dust at her, seeing only one connect on her wrist, her weapon clattering to the ground as the shock attached to her weapon. She yelped when Azura dashed towards her even faster, pinning her to the ground, and stabbing at her aura. Seeing his chance at ending it, he raised his blade, sinking it towards her, only for him to hit rose petals.

Despite his impressive display of speed, he was no match for the girl, her weapon already slamming into him. He was on the ground in a instant, his pistol already sliding across the ground, with rose petals going with it. He let go of his sword as she pressed a boot on his forearm, the other foot on his chest, and her scythe head pointed towards his throat. Were her eyes always this captivating when she was in 'battle mode'?

"Surrender."

"I surrender." He called out, making sure Goodwitch could hear him. Looking over while on the ground, he saw her aura at 19%, while he was at 23%. So close.

The call for the end of the fight was made, with Ruby given the victory. She got off of him and put her weapon away, offering him a hand up. He took it, letting go once he was standing, and leaned over to her.

"You know, I'm going to smell of your rose-scented shampoo for the rest of day."

Ruby blushed. "Shut up. I don't need to think of that!"

"Also, you're a dominating person when you want to be." Azura said, a low laugh leaving him as she lightly punched him.

"Trying to soften the blow of your loss?"

Azura faked a gasp. "How did you know? Some scary pordigy you are."

"Normal knees!" She whined.

He blinked. "What?"

"N-nothing."

Professor Goodwitch coughed, waiting for them to finish. When they were silent, she spoke.

"Now, this is where I tell the two students who fought what they can improve upon. Miss Rose showed excellent usage of her semblance, and showed that one must use what they can to keep the advantage. But, she made the mistake of underestimating her opponent, as well as not having any clear plan to attack, going with the flow, which can be fatal in a real situation. Mister Heart gave an admirable try at a strategy that would work in his favor, and clearly showed his knowledge of his body and weapons, as well as an ability to understand what his opponent would do." she paused. "But, he ended up falling for the trap of believing the battle was over, and trying to win a fight of attrition that he knew he would lose. The thing I will be most critical in saying is this; Mister Heart, whatever your reasons could be, do not act like some will not notice the fact that you refused to use your semblance. I do not care why you would do such a thing, I am telling you to use your semblance, as you clearly fight like one who would fight with his semblance."

Azura paled slightly. "Of course, Professor. I will keep your words in mind."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Good. You two are dismissed to freshen up in the locker rooms. Don't stay there for long."

They walked the short distance towards the locker rooms, Professor Goodwitch speaking in the background to start the last match of the class, the two only speaking when they had to part ways.

"That was a awesome fight, Azura! We should do it again sometime." Ruby said, excited as she thought about it.

Azura nodded, replying with a smile. "Totally. You were a force to be reckoned with."

"So were you. Well, I'll see you in a bit, on the bleachers."

"Yep."

After taking a quick shower to get rid of the sweat and smell of roses, and putting his school uniform back on, Azura put his gear away in the locker, same with his battle/casual clothing. He assumed the supply ninjas would clean them, like how the clothing mysteriously dissappeared after initiation, only to appear here.

Exiting the locker room, he saw Ruby just do the same.

"Shall we go meet them, winner?" He said with a smirk.

"We shall." Ruby said, letting the persona of a royal queen take over for a moment.

They both laughed, making their way to the bleachers. As the took the stairs up, they saw Blake and Nora fighting, and by the time they even sat down, Nora had just slammed her hammer into Blake, sending her out of the arena. As they were told what went wrong, Nora taking hits that she didn't need to take, and Blake for being indecisive, the group congratulated them for a good fight. Weiss even gave Ruby a compliment.

Professor Goodwitch's voice rang out towards the group. "This is what most days of combat class will be like. Expect other forms of classes to happen, but I am here to test you to fight each other so that you can improve. Class dismissed."

They exited the building as a full group of ten, the sun starting to set, the April weather starting to cool faster as twilight approached within a few hours. They had no other classes for the day, and returned to the library to spend some time together.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura spent his time reading a book called 'Phantom Thieves'. He decided to bring it with him, only needing to have the Librarian mark him as a student with a book, and a reminder to bring it back within a month. Afterwards, they went to grab food for dinner, since Beacon seemed to support all three meals, not that they complained.

Now in their dorms, they found two beds where the sleeping bags were, and Ren found a note from the supply ninjas, where it said that they were able to get the beds ready for the two new people in the dorm room. And that, yes, they did wash the clothes. Azura felt a shiver run down his back, suddenly feeling like he was being watched.

They repeated the same process of getting ready to sleep, with Azura lazily not showering and only changing into sweatpants and a t-shirt. He was out within minutes, feeling so grateful to have a bed.

**.**

**.(End of chapter)**

**.**

**Well, there you have it. Compared to chapter two, chapter one and three is the length I would prefer to have per chapter. If you have anything to say, don't be afraid to say. I want to improve, and I can't do that if I get told nothing.**

**Hope you enjoyed it. Will work on chapter four when I have the time!**


	4. School Life

**Author's note: I finally return! It's been a while, and I have been itching to write this. I took advantage of a lull in college life to do it. Just have finals left to do. Anyway, enough of that boring stuff, this chapter went a little longer than I thought it would. I should be back to having my free time back, hopefully. I Hope you had/have a good day today!**

**.**

**.(Start of chapter)**

**.**

**Chapter 4: School Life**

It was Tuesday, April 16th, when Azura figured one thing out. He didn't know a lot about social cues. He wasn't socially clueless, just not really experienced in social settings.

But, a boy who never went to school never experienced some things. One of them being rumors. Not even a day has passed, but Professor Goodwitch and her comment about hiding his semblance had spread through the first years.

He hadn't noticed it until just this morning, when team JNPR plus AP and team RWBY sat down for breakfast once they had grabbed their food. It was peaceful, but Azura couldn't help but feel the glances he was getting. He could also hear what some were saying. Questions about what his semblance was, why he was hiding it, the possibility of him having a dark secret about his semblance even came up. Luna was on alert, but seemed more observant than anything.

The feeling only vanished when they left the cafeteria, and made their way to Professor Port's classroom for Grimm Studies. Despite his promise to Pyra, he was distracted by this new experience, tuning in and out of Port's story, the man going on about how he got through a cave full of Ursa. Luckily, Azura caught that the man wanted a one page paper about Ursa anatomy by Friday.

History managed to stir him from his thoughts, the scarily fast talking man started the class off by reminding them to get that homework on Vale's origins done by Friday. The topic they were going over was talking about some legend of the founder of Vale, and Azura was confused as to why a legend was being discussed. Sure, not much was known about the man, but the story didn't even make sense.

So, Azura figured a nap would do him good. He knew the topic that was being discussed today, even with the Doctor talking so hastily that some were left reeling in confusion.

He woke up to Pyrrha nudging him. "You really cannot make a habit of sleeping the day away."

He rose from his seat, taking his school bag with him, and followed her out of the room. "You do have a point, but I knew the legend already! I'll not make a habit out of it though, I promise." He looked around, seeing some students still in the hall, following her slow pace. "Where is everyone?"

Pyrrha took a glance at him, just to make sure he wouldn't fall behind. "They went ahead to the library, something about getting work done. Or rather, Ren and Weiss wanted to get the Grimm Studies homework done, and everyone got dragged along for the ride."

"Works with me."

They walked in silence for a few seconds, before Pyrrha asked him a question.

"Are you hiding your semblance?"

Azura sighed. "Not you too. Every student in our year seems to want to know."

Her body language conveyed a hint of nervousness. "I don't mean it that way! Would you prefer to keep it hidden?"

Azura hummed. "Kind of. Not forever, I just don't know how to go about it. Pyra already knows."

"She doesn't seem to not like the fact that she knows. Is it such a bad thing?"

"No, it isn't. I'm just not comfortable with sharing it yet." Azura said, a stray thought of people not wanting to be around him after he told them that he saw his dead mother every day crossing his mind. Pyra might not have been the first to accept his semblance readily, but the thought of giving the secret up still stirred some anxiety inside him.

Was it selfish to hide your secrets?

Pyrrha stopped for a moment, Azura following suit, and she turned around to face him.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I have done the same. If and when I decide it might be okay to reveal it, I'll tell you first." She told him, a smile on her face.

He returned the smile. "You're be the first to know as well. Well, second to know. We can reveal it to the rest of them together!"

"Of course. And Azura...please don't mind the rumors. If they bother you, please come to me. I know how it feels." She gave him a look that reminded him of a mother to her child, and felt a blush slightly color his face.

"I'll keep that in mind."

He raised his left fist towards her, seeing her eyes fill with happiness. She gave him a fist bump in return, and they walked to the center garden in silence. Once the library was in sight, Azura recalled his argument with Pyra and the conversation with Headmaster Ozpin.

"Pyrrha?"

"Yes, Azura?" she asked as they continued walking.

"How do you think I can apologize to Weiss? I'm sure Pyra told you something about our argument yesterday."

He wanted to start over with the girl who shared his hair color, to turn over a new leaf. He figured that doing that sooner rather than later will bring unity to their group, and stop any further issue for now. Well, Luna seemed to agreed with him, if her nodding had to say anything. He felt his confidence bolster at her telling him that it was a good idea.

"She did. Actually, she seemed adamant about it being me she told first before the others, though I have no idea why. As for your question...well, that should be simple. Just ask to talk to her in private and go from there."

"Why is it always so simple?" Azura sighed. "I always feel dumb when it is easier than I thought."

Pyrrha giggled, shaking her head. "Well, it should be no issue if you do it correctly."

Azura let out a breathy laugh. "Right. I just hope she'll let me try."

"You'll be fine." Pyrrha said.

Well, Azura at least felt better. Honestly, this wasn't how he expected his first few days to go. Azura expected normal friends, normal conversations, then have crazy stuff happen later in the year, not now. He could only hope that things would settle down.

The entrance of the library came up, and Azura realized he never really took time to really take the library in. It was a simplistic building, with a center section with a lot of tables, split into two rows down the middle. The light brown colors of the tables, as well as the bookshelves that lined the right side and the farthest walls from the entrance, were a good color for the brown flooring and red carpets lined around the place. The librarian's desk was to the left side, a simplistic desk with a computer and other devices for their use. In the far left corner, a staircase that lead to the computer rooms on the second floor were held. Windows lined all of the walls, giving the sun plenty of places to shine inside.

He saw himself trailing behind Pyrrha by a few meters, and when he went to catch up, he saw her talking to Weiss. The girl fixed her icy blue eyes on him, and Azura froze on the spot. His mouth felt dry, and his mind just stopped thinking for a second. Never in his life had he felt scared to look someone in the eyes, but the sharp and deadly look of the famous Schnee family member could do so. Or maybe Weiss was just scary. The girl stood from her seat, and made her way towards him. If it wasn't for the anxiety he was feeling, he would say his racing heart was because she was attractive.

She stood in front of him, the girl actually having to tilt her head to look at him. Not that it stopped her.

"Well? You have something to say? This is as private a spot as we will get, if you understand." She said, waving an arm to the group.

"You're not wrong." Azura replied, glancing at them trying to seem like they didn't care to listen to their conversation.

Well, it was now or later. The sooner, the better.

He breathed in deeply, exhaling quietly before meeting her gaze again.

"I wanted to apologize. I can't say that I was being fair to you, ever since I met you, even in my own thoughts. I thought you were just rude, a bit of a bitch, and uncaring for anyone other than yourself. I let my bias against the SDC clash with my views of you. I saw you as a Schnee, and not as a person. I wanted to turn over a new leaf, and for use to try and be friends this time. I don't want to let some personal vendetta get in the way of our group. Will you accept a peace offering from me?"

His only reaction was her narrowing her eyes, her lips dipping into a slight frown. Azura decided that he never wanted this part of Weiss to be focused on him again, it was nerve-wracking.

"You are stubborn, prideful, and let your emotions take control before you think things through..." She sighed. "But, I was unfair as well. I was not raised with the same standards as your family might have raised you with...what I am trying to say is that I have my problems. You have yours. We're all human. Let us get this sappy and emotional stuff done and over with, I accept your apology."

She smiled, or rather, she stopped frowning, and her lips were barely upwards. She waited for him to smile, looking for something, before she turned around and left, sitting back down in her chair. Azura went forward, and grabbed a chair farthest away from her, with Pyrrha nearby, the girl whispering an 'I told you so.' before they went back to their homework for Professor Port. He figured that he might as well get that homework done as well.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

It was halfway to one in the afternoon when they went to the cafeteria to grab food, where the staring continued, and ten minutes until Combat Class when they were ready and sitting up in the bleachers. Azura was reading his book, not wanting to sit with nothing to do besides conversate. Professor Goodwitch entered the building, but Azura only stopped reading once she spoke, welcoming them into the class once more.

"Yesterday, I spoke about how this class would not only be doing one-on-one fights, but other activities, such as aura practice or free sparring. Some will be more common than others, and will be following a set schedule. We will regularly switch between one-on-one fighting and free sparring, or fighting without a weapon. Wednesday will be for semblances. Every Friday will have another subject. For the first Friday class we will be focused on how to further use your semblance and control your aura." She stopped to make sure we were taking the information in. "The second Friday class will be a physical check. The staff at Beacon expect that students will be keeping up with what a Huntsman would require, a physically fit and active body and other such requirements. This class will be there to make sure you are making that requirement by testing you, so I would recommend that you wear what you normally would to exercise and not your gear or school clothing. The third Friday class will be team battles and a general overview of the teams. These will rotate in that order, repeating after each third Friday."

General talking went through the students as they spoke excitedly about one thing or another, and Yang seemed to be quite happy, if her smile said anything.

"What's got you so happy over there, Yang?" Azura spoke up to her, tilting his head to see her.

"I'm pumped about the last Friday. Team fights sound really fun!" Yang said, her lilac colored eyes gleamed.

Pyrrha readily agreed. "They do sound quite fun. Though I do wonder how team fights will go with our team." The group seemed to focus on Azura and Pyra.

Azura responded, if only to make them stop. "That is a good question. Headmaster Ozpin said he would talk to us about it when they figured it out."

Pyra nodded, and returned to checking over her weapon, Ruby hovering over her as she seemed to shake with excitement, studying the weapon. Azura figured she was a weapon enthusiast, something he could ask about later.

"Well, he sure is taking his time!" Nora said, whining quietly, in her own version of quiet.

A hiss to their side stopped them, before Weiss whispered harshly. "She's going to start soon, quit chatting."

"Well, excuse me, princess." Azura said, letting out a small chuckle as her eye twitched. It might not be out of malice towards her, but seeing her annoyed was funny.

Weiss decided to not entertain him.

Miss Goodwitch seemed ready for the murmuring, since she stood there calmly waiting. "Well, I am glad to see that many of you seem at least excited about the schedule for this class. Now, we have to get started, now that we have a full two hours of sparring to do. Grab a partner and go, I will be checking between groups during the spars." She pushed her glasses up. "Do try to find someone who has experience in free fighting, as I wish for everyone to learn, and I cannot always properly teach everyone."

With that, she was walking away, messing around on her scroll as she walked onto the arena. After a few moments, the ground around the arena had lit up, as circles that were about ten feet wide began to show up. Azura wasn't tech savvy, but he could appreciate the technology that was used to make these kind of things possible. His thoughts were broken as he was tapped lightly on the head, but a look to the left and right only showed Luna looking behind him. He turned around, seeing Yang looking at him.

"You wanna get tossed around, Snow?" Yang said, teasing him.

Azura responded, a deadpan look on his face. "How do you even know if I have very basic hand-to-hand combat or not?"

"You don't exactly have the muscles of a brawler. I bet even Blake could kick your ass."

Azura laughed as he stood. "Well, we can't have that. Alright coach, what will it take to make sure that doesn't occur?"

"Mostly me beating you up to see where you are and go from there." Yang said, slapping a fist into her open hand, as if finishing up a genius plan.

"I hate you."

"Love ya too, Snow!"

As they moved to a open circle, Azura took the time to see who everyone partnered up with. Ren and Jaune, Pyrrha and Pyra, Nora and Ruby, Yang and himself, and Blake and Weiss. He never thought about it, but Pyra was pretty fit, so maybe she was kinda experienced in hand-to-hand. Why did she not ask to partner with him? He would have said yes.

"Now that I think about it, why did you come to partner with me? I am sure Pyra would have asked her own partner. I would have." He said, a chuckle escaping him.

They reached the circle and stood off from each other as Yang responded. "Pyra must have asked for help before thinking of the idea of if you knew this stuff or not. Besides, I wandered over to you as things unfolded. Figured you would be interesting to fight. You may not have skill in this, but brute strength can take you a good distance. I wanted to see how far you could go." Her smile turned flirtatious. "Or maybe I wanted to pin you to the ground."

Azura coughed, not expecting the reference to his wrestler comment. "Well, I guess I will have to accidentally fall for that. But, I won't go down without trying! You ready?"

He crouched down, legs spreading apart to prepare, and his arms in front of him, his hands balled into fists. Yang smirked eagerly, hearing his challenge. She crouched slightly, one foot back, one hand held up in front, the other close to her chest.

The sounds of people fighting was loud before, but now dulled as Azura prepared for Yang to make the first move. Defensive play would be better for now.

Azura barely held her off when she lunged for a grab, having to flash his aura to give him a boost in strength. Pushing her back only worked for a second, as Yang rushed back in with a series of punches. He blocked most of her hits, but he wasn't expecting the kick to the side of his stomach, rolling with the momentum and back on his feet.

"Playing defensive only gets you so far, Snow."

"Noted."

Yang was back on him as he spoke, Azura attempting to heed her advice to some degree. He threw his own punch out in a series of one-two-three. Right jab, left jab, a swing with the right. Azura managed to at least have Yang off of her assault, throwing his arm out to stop her kick towards his ribs, spinning her. He dodged her swing-around kick to his shoulder by ducking low, grabbing her open leg, and pushing it up. He got the desired outcome, hearing Yang gasp in a small amount of pain as her muscles stretched further than normal, and pushed her to the ground in a pin.

He had to admit, fighting like some kind of wrestler or something was fun.

But, while Azura struggled to keep her down for the victory, Yang showed her strength, as her aura flared higher, and suddenly, their positions were reversed. Yang sat on his stomach, her feet keeping his legs apart and her hands stopping his arms. He only struggled for a few seconds before he gave up and gave her the victory.

She rolled off of him with a huff. "Honestly, you're faster than I thought. You a gymnast or something?"

Azura snorted as he sat upwards. "I wouldn't be here if I was."

"Well…" Yang drawled out, looking towards him. "You seem quick to learn this stuff. Even if I was going easy on you."

"That was easy!?" Azura said, a groan escaping him.

"Yep! We're not done yet. That was only thirty seconds, still two hours to go. Up and at them!"

"Yes ma'am."

**.**

**. (Line Break)**

**.**

When professor Goodwitch came to inspect their progress, Yang had won yet again. She increased her speed and strength more as Azura was able to last longer, his current record being thirty four seconds or so.

"It certainly seems that Miss Xiao Long has given you quite the lesson, Mister Heart. As for what to say to both of you...well, you could certainly learn to be less predictable, Miss Xiao Long, but you clearly have a good idea of how to be a brawler."

Yang grinned and saluted, while Goodwitch turned her gaze towards Azura.

"As for you Mister Heart, I am glad to see that you are learning rather quickly. It seems that your partner has been a good teacher to you. You need to pick a more fluent method of fighting, as it seems you mostly use your weapon for fighting." She almost glared at him, but it still scared him half to death. "In fact, you use your blade like it wouldn't matter horribly if you lost it, despite having little practice in hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps your semblance can explain why?"

He shook his head no, only receiving a sigh in return. "I cannot help you if you do not help yourself. Keep that in mind." In a louder tone. "Class is dismissed, you may freshen up and get changed in the locker rooms."

Azura was still sitting on the ground, lost in thought. He wished that his semblance wasn't a personal matter to him. He saw Yang's hand, and grabbed it, allowing her to drag him up.

"You did great, Snow. And, it was fun!" She looked away, ironically staring at Luna. "I will admit that I am curious about your semblance...but if you don't want to share it, that's on you. We met only a few days ago, so I don't blame you." She looked back at him, sweat lining her forehead, similar to Azura. "Be sure to tell us when you're ready! I'm sure even Weiss would be kind enough to not demand private details."

At that moment, Azura knew that Yang would be a great friend. She laughed, and he joined soon after. A few seconds later, Yang walked off to join her team, while team JNPR walked by, and Pyra stopped to stand next to him, draping a arm on his shoulder.

"Please never let me spar against Pyrrha again, I have never felt so many aches in my body."

"I know what you mean. I had Yang as my partner."

"That sucks for you. Hey, they are all going to the library again. Want to leave them for me? We can go exploring. I'll wait for you if I get out first."

"Sure, sounds like fun. I'll do the same if I get out first."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As it turned out, Azura was indeed the first to get out. It seemed like everyone else was gone to him, and the sun hung in the sky, draping the building in light. Azura leaned against the wall and looked to his side. Miss Goodwitch and her words echoed in his mind, and he wondered if he really was halting his progress. On one hand, he certainly did just fine without his semblance being active, having very few combat situations go wrong for him. Not that he has seen a lot of combat. But, how much better could he be if he wasn't scared?

If he wasn't scared of how people would react. Scared of how Ruby or Yang would react to knowing that a ghost-Ruby was following them. Scared of having no one to go to.

"Azura!"

He turned his head towards the voice, seeing Pyra walking towards him, her black hair bobbing as she jogged to him.

"Ready to explore?" She asked.

"Always." Was the response.

Pyra hummed, looking around. "Well...let's start here! There is a basement and second level to the training halls. I wonder what they are for."

"Sounds good." Azura said, waving a hand for her to start walking, following closely after her.

There was a set of glass doors in front of them and one to the left, with them choosing to go to the one in front. On the other side was a set of stone stairs, one going up and the other going down.

"Up or down?" Azura asked.

Pyra replied, with amusement in her voice. "Top or bottom?"

Azura raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You're no fun."

"Bottom it is."

Pyra rolled her eyes at his reply, but went to go downwards. Once they reached the bottom, and went through another set of doors, they found a gym. Weights and machines littered the place, with blue mats going around. There were a few cubicles around the walls, about twenty feet by twenty feet in size. Upon further inspection, Azura found that they were to simulate Grimm fights. A terminal was to the side of each cubicle, with options and settings set up for customizing the experience inside of it.

Looking around, he saw Pyra on the other side of the room, closer to the back wall of the building. Once he approached, he saw what was holding her attention, The cubicle she was looking at was larger than the others, about double the size. It was a simulated gun range, so that students with actual guns could practice their aim without ammo being wasted.

"This room is pretty cool. I wonder why they haven't shown it off at all." Azura said aloud.

"I'm sure they will at some point. It's only been a day or two."

He hummed in agreement. After looking around a bit longer, they wandered upstair to the second floor, finding several medium sized arenas lined along the sides of the room. They were all box-shaped, with stairs to go up. A terminal was next to the stairs on each arena, with a few simple settings to be used. Time limit before alarm to end the match, aura limit to do the same thing, a barrier to stop projectiles.

"This building is pretty awesome." Pyra said, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

"Agreed." Azura said, in awe of the technology the school possessed. And he thought Vale was awesome.

Pyra turned towards him. "Next building?"

"Yep. Let's go."

The next building, the one close by the training halls, was a infirmary. They were in and out in three minutes.

"Well, the placement makes sense." Azura said, waving his arm to emphasize his point.

Pyra nodded her head. "It also makes sense why they asked us to leave. Wouldn't want to clutter the place if injured students were there."

Just as they were about to decide upon the next building the check out, both of their scrolls vibrated with a notification. It was from Ozpin, asking them and team JNPR to go to the center tower of Beacon, or Beacon Tower.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They met up with team JNPR in the main lobby floor of the tower at 4:40 p.m. It was a twenty minute wait before they were cleared to meet with Headmaster Ozpin at the top of the tower. They entered the elevator, finding it a bit small for six people. Once they reached the top, they found Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch quietly discussing something.

They walked into the room, taking in the pillars that lined the room, as well as the bookshelves that lined the walls on their left and right. Beyond Ozpin's cluttered desk and chair was a glass window that was tinted green, with the sun positioned behind it, letting a soft green light flow into the room. Ozpin and Goodwitch finished speaking in hushed tones, with Goodwitch leaving the room with the elevator. Ozpin watched her leave before he turned his sharp brown eyes towards Pyra for a second, waving over team JNPR and stopping on Azura. Azura ran a hand through his white hair and he shifted uncomfortably.

"I assume you all know why you are here. Or rather, Mister Heart and Miss Sol would."

Jaune spoke up first. "So, uh...why are we here? I mean, um, team JNPR."

"That is a good question, Mister Arc. You and your team are here because we are discussing what it means for a four-man team to have six members."

Azura stopped watching Luna look around to pay attention, just letting the conversation unfold. A look over everyone else told him that Nora was staring at Ozpin like it was a competition, and he was unsure how Ozpin was ignoring her so well. Ren was simply observing, similar to Pyra. Pyrrha was looking around. It looked like Jaune would be talking the most.

"What would that mean, Headmaster Ozpin?"

Ozpin looked at the students keeping quiet, seeming to find it funny that they were letting their leader talk for them.

"Well, Mister Arc, it would mean that Glynda and I have come to an agreement for the roles that your plus two will have. And no, they are not very complex." Ozpin took a moment to drink from his cup, probably holding coffee, based off of the smell of the room. "There are actually only two rules in place. One, during team battles in your combat classes, only four students are allowed to fight for the team, meaning that you must decide who will join in the fight. Your leader is not needed, but be sure to appoint a leader for the team fight if you do. And two, if it is needed, I will send Mister Heart and Miss Sol with another first year team on their way to a mission. And, for later knowledge, all first years will be obligated to take on a shadowed mission when you are all prepared."

Pyra looked at him. "I have a question regarding the missions."

Ozpin smiled. "I most likely have an answer."

"Would you ever split me and Azura up if it is needed? Because I would prefer to stay with my partner for missions."

Ozpin shifted his gaze to Azura. "And what do you think of that?"

Azura looked over at Pyra and smiled warmly. "Well, I would prefer to stay by my partner's side for those."

Ozpin nodded his head, taking a moment to think. "While I cannot promise to fully secure that you two stay together for missions, I will keep that in mind. I do agree with your sentiments, a pair of partners should stay with each other."

A glance to Azura's side showed Luna looking over at ghost-Ruby, who stared down towards Ruby, one of her hands balled in a fist. Azura quickly looked away, so as to not be caught looking at nothing.

"I'm glad to hear that." Pyra said.

Pyrrha asked the next question. "Is that all we were needed for, Headmaster?"

"Yes."

As they turned to leave, Ozpin spoke once more. "However, I would like Mister Heart to stay for a moment. You all may stay in the lobby to wait for him if you wish."

Azura watched everyone go into the elevator, seeing everyone looking at him. They all looked as nervous as he felt.

"We'll be waiting" Pyrrha said.

Azura smiled at her, Nora giving a thumbs up in the back of the elevator. Once the doors closed, Azura turned back around to see Ozpin looking out the window, cane in one hand and mug in the other.

"What am I needed for, Headmaster Ozpin?" Azura asked, feeling antsy at being alone with the man.

"Your semblance is something that you wish to keep secret, correct?" Ozpin said.

"Yes."

"Are you aware that I already know what it is?"

Silence carpeted the room, and Azura took a step back in his surprise. Ozpin finally turned around, his eyes burning into him.

"The ability to see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. That is the simple way to put it."

Azura paused. "Sir?"

"I prefer to say what it can be capable of. It is the ability to interact and use ghosts and spirits for your aid, not through manipulation, but through the soul."

"You seem to know a lot about my semblance, Headmaster."

Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, that is true. Your semblance is not naturally made, and you are hardly the first person to have it."

Azura shook his head in confusion as Ozpin continued. "Not much is known about how it is formed, beyond the circumstances needing a tragic event to occur directly in front of the person. But you are not the first to have it. How it functions is unique to you alone, so do not worry about your soul being a copy of another soul. It is still unique depending on the person. It is still the manifestation of your soul."

Ozpin closed their distance more, coming to stop about halfway to him. "It is not very common either. I have seen a lot in my life, but you are the third person with this semblance I have seen. The first to be in this school."

"I don't know what to say." Azura said, feeling Luna wrap herself around his arm, her strong hands grasping onto it.

"She's here, isn't she?" Ozpin said, a forlorn look crossing his face, quickly replaced with determination.

"Who is?" Azura asked. "Luna?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No. Summer Rose. She was Ruby's mother, before she died. But I knew your mother died, so I will admit that it crossed my mind that she was her as well."

Azura felt Luna grip him harder, and he wondered if he would have a bruise under the sweatshirt. Was he talking about ghost-Ruby?

Azura licked his lips. "I...I think she is. A ghost of a woman has been following Ruby since I first saw her."

Opzin sighed heavily, and Azura thought the man looked several times older.

"Speak with her when you are up to the task. I am aware that you fear the consequences, but it is important that you do so. However, I will not force you to do it now." He watched Azura nod his head. "You may leave."

As Azura left the room, the elevator doors closing, he could see Ozpin sit in his chair, deep in thought. He wasn't sure if he would ever be ready for what Ozpin wanted, but Azura felt bad. He would try when he was ready. But, he would tell Ruby first when it he does it.

"That's the right thing to do." He said to himself, nodding in agreement with himself.

Once he made it to the lobby, he saw a clock showing that it was five p.m. Looking around, he found Pyrrha waiting for him.

"Hey." Was all he said to her once he walked up to her.

Pyrrha looked up. "Hello." Her green eyes peered into him, almost looking into his mind. "Everything okay?"

Azura nodded. "Yeah. Everything is okay. Headmaster Ozpin just wanted to talk for a moment. Thanks for the concern though."

She smiled. "Of course. And if you are looking for the others, they joined team RWBY to go get dinner. I told them I would wait for you, so they should be saving seats for us in the cafeteria area."

Azura liked the thought of food. Maybe it would keep his mind off of what was discussed.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Wednesday, April 16th. Same morning, same process. Breakfast with more people looking at him, then Grimm Studies. History was another tale on the old Kingdom of Vale, learning about how the royal family died out within the past few team RWBY and JNPR + two hang out in the library, playing games. Eat lunch. At least Combat Class proved to be different.

Azura sighed as he sat down between Pyra and Ruby. "I hope Professor Goodwitch doesn't talk about my semblance again. People keep looking at me, and it makes me uncomfortable. It's not like I am the only one who hasn't shown off his semblance!" He looked over at Ruby. "You got something to help me here, bees knees?"

"I have normal knees!" Ruby cried out to the sky. "And, I don't know. Ignore them? That's what I have been doing to the students talking about the 'young prodigy' they think I am."

Azura tried to act like he didn't hear Ruby's mother giggle at her expense. Summer Rose didn't exist to him yet.

"I came here to be a normal huntsman and this is what I get." Azura said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

"You gave that up the moment you met me and Rubes. Besides, today's Combat Class is about semblances, so you better be careful, oh mysterious one." Yang said, walking up the stairs.

A few minutes later, after everyone calmed down and took seats, Miss Goodwitch came out. "I have already gone over this, but today is Wednesday. Every Wednesday will be practicing with your semblances. It is as simple as that. For today, since it is the first one, we will start of small. If you will follow me, I will show you where we will be practicing."

A minute or two later, everyone was upstairs and split into their teams, one for each arena. Azura looked at Pyra, who looked smug to already know what the place looked like. He looked around from the corner arena that they had, seeing team RWBY opposite of them. Looking to his side was some students who were waiting for Professor Goodwitch to talk, and next to team RWBY was that brute of a redhead with his team, that being team CRDL. He snapped to attention once Goodwitch started talking again.

"Now, I have a few things to say here. One, you are starting off small. That means that if you have a offensive semblance, such as lightning or something, keep it small and barely powered. For those with a more" She said, waving her hand around. "utility-based semblance, practice by focusing on the semblance and keeping it active. Those with circumstance-based semblances, attempt to find new ways to set your semblance off, and make variance in your semblance uses."

A glance was thrown towards him over her glasses. "For those who do not think they have a semblance or do not actually have a semblance, practice on unlocking your semblance or discover it to start off. You have to full two hours to practice." She turned away, walking towards the back of the room, away from them.

Azura felt Pyra lean into him to whisper. "She did it again."

He hummed before Jaune asked for everyone to go over what they would be doing.

"Well, I'm not sure about anyone else, but I do not have my semblance. I hope I'm not alone here." He chuckled nervously.

Once he saw no one else comment, he sighed. Pyrrha patted him on the shoulder.

"Well, my semblance is based off of emotions, and meditation certainly helps me. Perhaps it would be the same for Jaune?" Ren said, his calm voice devoid of emotion.

"Really?" Jaune asked, excited. "Oh, that would be awesome. What do you think my semblance would be?"

Ren shook his head, leading Jaune away to the corner farthest from other groups, facing away from them. Azura looked back, seeing Pyra and Nora talking.

"Well, my awesome semblance allows me to power up from lightning! It's super exciting stuff! Almost like I become some super duper powerful being!" Her excitement cooled off. "Plus, it will help out with your semblance, right? You can even test your fire out on me when I am powered up."

Nora could convey so many tones, it was kind of scary. Pyra wasn't afraid to voice her concerns.

"Is that such a good idea?"

Nora laughed. "Of course! I think it won't cause any problems."

Pyra never got to respond. It seemed that a Nora that wanted to experiment was a Nora that got to do so, the girl dragging his partner to the side. That left Azura and Pyrrha together. The two people who were hiding their semblances.

"Well, this is ironic." Azura said quietly, in an attempt to clear the awkward atmosphere.

"Quite. How shall we go about it? We cannot do nothing." Pyrrha responded in kind, keeping her voice low.

"I'm not sure. Professor Goodwitch would probably make us run laps or something if we do nothing."

Pyrrha laughed lightly, before running her hand through her hair, her red ponytail swaying with the action. "Well, they know that we do indeed have semblances. Perhaps we do something together."

Azura tilted his head to the side, raising a hand to his chin. "Without me knowing your semblance and you not knowing mine?"

"Exactly like that. Besides, we are supposed to be practicing and learning new ways to use our semblances."

He hummed. "That is correct. Fine, let's play our guessing game."

They sat down across from each other, knees touching.

Pyrrha looked at him. "I assume both of us can use our semblance with our weapons? I can. If you can as well, draw your weapon."

"So can I." Azura said, letting the weapon shift on his arm as he pressed his left hand to it. He placed it in front of him.

Pyrrha did the same, keeping her weapon in its spear form. She placed her shield to the side.

"So, on three, we will both use our semblance, and practice with that. If my thoughts are correct, your semblance might have some similar uses to mine, even if they might be wildly different from each other." Pyrrha spoke, her voice just loud enough for him.

He nodded. "On three."

He breathed in deeply as he hoped his plan would work. He had high hopes that it would work this time, since he has managed it before. He has seen Luna pick up the blade before, scaring the poor Adel matriarch half to death. However, she couldn't see Luna, which is how they discovered the ability to pick things up without him activating his semblance. It seemed to be easier as he got more control over his aura and semblance. However, she was not able to pick up any object beyond his personal things without being visible to everyone. His sword, the pistol, and his body being a few examples.

Once he heard her command to begin, he allowed Luna to start to slowly pick the weapon up, seeing his blade raising slightly slower than Pyrrha. She was clearly focused, not talking, but still watching the process. Azura followed her example, but his eyes were wandering over her face, and darting to her weapon, attempting to decide what her semblance could be. Pyrrha was doing the same.

They weren't interacting at all, but Azura was enjoying this silent guessing game. Did she have a similar semblance to his? Or was it different and he was tricking her into believing he had a similar semblance to her? Or perhaps the opposite was occuring, and she was tricking him.

A few minutes later, Azura found that he had locked eyes with her. It was like a contest to see who would break first, and he liked seeing that competitive gleam in her eyes. He could see why some regarded her skill in competitions so highly, she had the spirit for it. He wondered if she was always like that, even as a kid. Imagining young Pyrrha acting all intense over some simple deed had his resolve breaking as he broke out in laughter. The sword hung just for a second longer before Luna actually dropped the weapon, acting like a semblance that needed concentration and had no passive function.

Pyrrha joined him soon after, albeit in a quieter manner. After a few seconds, Azura calmed down, feeling proud as he watched her laugh. It wasn't due to getting her to laugh or from seeing her spear drop immediately, but from seeing a continued success from his passive abilities. He learned something after all! It made him quite happy. He waited for her to stop laughing before speaking.

"Well, that was pretty fun. Not the staring at each other part, but the "semblance guessing name" I played."

Pyrrha clasped her hands together. "Ah, at least I was not alone in doing so as well." She shifted closer, talking quieter. " What do you think my semblance is?"

Azura put his hand to his chin for a moment, before leaning towards her. "Telekinesis, controlling objects with your mind. What about me?"

"Wind control. I think you were just being very quiet with the gusts of air."

"Nope. Was I right?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "As you put it, nope."

"Shall we do it again, and then guess after a few minutes?"

Pyrrha nodded, the competitive gleam returning in her eyes.

They continued to do so, and it seemed that neither of them could get it right. They were in the middle of another set when Miss Goodwitch came upon team JNPR, just finishing with team RWBY and sending them on their way. She walked past them, with the two students barely noticing her. After a few minutes of talking to Ren and Jaune, with the blonde boy looking slightly disappointed, she moved to Nora and Pyra. Azura watched her move for a moment before returning to the task at hand. A shout of excitement, most likely Nora, was heard in the room, And he heard Pyra say something.

A few minutes later, they finished their final guesses, still unsuccessful in guessing correctly. They weren't exactly itching to move like Jaune, or more physically exhausted like Pyra and Nora, but they were certainly mentally exhausted. Azura had a bit of a headache coming on, and Pyrrha was rubbing her forehead. He stood up, shifting his weapon back to a band and putting it back on, watching Pyrrha do the same with her weapon, turning it into a sword and hooking it on her belt, and putting her shield on her back.

"I am certainly impressed with you two." Goodwitch said. Looking beyond them for a moment. "You four are dismissed, I am simply going to discuss the same topics with them."

They shuffled out, Ren taking Nora with him as she shouted a 'see you later'. Jaune and Pyrrha took a moment to talk about what they did, the girl putting a comforting hand on his shoulder when he said he found nothing. As for Azura and Pyra, they simply smiled at each other and exchanged two sentences.

"I'll tell you what happened later." Pyra said. "Nora was quite happy with the results we found."

"That's good. Me and Pyrrha had a good time, even if we barely spoke. I'll explain over dinner."

They watched them leave before professor Goodwitch cleared her throat.

"Now for you two. I am sure that you are both aware that I know your semblances. Or rather, Ozpin knew. He has told me to allow your secrets for now, so I shall stay my hand on the topic."

Azura nodded his head while Pyrrha gave a warm thank you. A blink was all they got in response.

"Miss Nikos, you have shown excellent use of your semblance, being able to focus on it for so long. In fact, you held it for more than two seconds after losing focus towards the end, so I must say good job. And as for you, Mister Heart, despite your reservations, you have clearly mastered something with your semblance for the feat you pulled off."

Azura and Pyrrha looked at each other, smiling at the praise. Miss Goodwitch did not let it last long.

"However, you will continue to hinder your progress if you do this. While Ozpin believes in allowing your problems to resolve slowly, I must warn you that I do not share the same opinion. Whatever keeps you from using your semblance must be overcome, and I suggest you do so sooner rather than later. You are dismissed."

The two students of Beacon walked away in silence, having been given food for thought.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The next day, Thursday, April 17th, was a simple one. Nothing special happened. Grimm Studies was a story of how Professor Port took on a Ursa major, with nothing but his bare fists. He at least seemed aware that they had an school work, reminding them to have it ready for tomorrow. They finished the topic of the origins of Vale in History, Doctor Oobleck giving a brisk reminder to hand the paper in tomorrow, before promptly zooming out of the room.

Weiss was adamant about finishing both assignments fully before combat class started. Poor Ruby was horrified by the idea, and even more horrified when Weiss denied helping her.

Azura smiled as he sat down next to her. "Here, let's get this over with. I'll help you with it."

Ruby brightened up. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. I hope your old school taught you Vale's history, but you are still two years behind. If you need help, I can lend assistance." Azura said, taking his materials out.

He saw Weiss shrink a later bit, probably feeling bad for saying no now.

Ruby smiled. "Thanks again! And I am just not the best person at studying and learning without it being combat related. Not quite sure why Oobleck is starting from the origins of Vale though."

"I am unsure of that as well." Azura responded.

It had been two days since Ozpin gave him his task, and Azura twitched as he saw Summer lean downwards to see what Ruby was looking for in her bag. Why did the headmaster have to give a teenager this job? He felt Luna place her hands on his shoulders in comfort.

Later, in combat class, they found out that Thursday was also one-on-one fights. The most exciting thing they saw was a member from team CRDL make quick work of another student. Cardin Winchester, as Azura learned his name was, is someone that Azura didn't like. He seemed so smug. Too smug. He swung that mace around like he owned the place.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Friday, May 18th. Same routine. Turn in the school work for Grimm Studies and History, have fun messing around in their usual spot, which has basically become the library.

Combat Class was the same as Wednesday, except the class was supposedly different from that one. To be fair to professor Goodwitch, the class was much more focused on aura control this time. Something every student is required to practice. She even said to practice every day, for about thirty minutes each time.

Other than that, it was rounding up to be a simple day, until Yang suggested that they go out to see Vale as they walked back to the dorms after a while, as it was nearing nine at night.

Apparently, only Yang, Ruby, and Pyra knew the city well, so the idea was met with little resistance. They agreed to meet tomorrow morning, around eight, to discuss who would be in what group and get on a early airship to get a full day out of Vale.

Before going to bed, Azura made sure to let the Adel household know that he would stop by the shop tomorrow, stating that he would be in the city tomorrow. He took a moment to study the photograph next to his own, the one Pyrrha brought with her. It seemed that red hair ran in the family, much like his white hair did. Or, he assumed so. Sometimes Azura forgot how he looked almost exactly like his mother, other than being a guy.

Azura couldn't wait for tomorrow to come, falling asleep soon after they turned the lights off.

**.**

**.(End of chapter)**

**.**

**Now, I know that slow starts to stories are usually a bit boring, but I am trying to have their daily life be a known thing, so that I do not have to explain it over and over. Certain things, such as the combat classes will be a more frequent thing that I write about, and I will soon start with chapters that focus a bit more on specific characters and story elements. I also struggle writing with more than four characters at the same time, so I apologize if a character you want to see is not given the time. They all deserve their time, but I will be focusing on one or a small group of characters, while having the other main characters around. **

**I also hope you don't mind the OCs, I am trying to keep them relevant, but in the background. I can't do that as much with Azura, but I need a POV for this. Plus, I like writing him.**

**Once I get past the slow stuff, I want to give more time before events in the main story, so expect mini side arcs for characters. And maybe more Grimm combat, this is a Huntsman academy after all.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to get chapter 5 out faster than this one.**


	5. New Friends, New Details

**Alright, new stuff, new area. I will be skipping more days over time, as every single day cannot be important enough for me to show you, the reader. Plus, I am sure you would prefer to see the canon characters do stuff. I hope you prefer for me to skip over the lessons and focus more on the daily moments, story, and combat moments.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Have a nice day/evening!**

**Chapter 5: New Friends, New Details**

**April 20th **

**Saturday**

**Clear**

It was seven in the morning and Azura came out of the shower to see an empty dorm room. He shrugged, assuming that they were at the cafeteria area, or perhaps mess hall was a better term, and walked around to gather his materials for the day. He was in his normal clothing, this time in dark colored jeans to match his black shirt and boots. Instead of blue and red being his only colors, he was down to the red on the inside of his sweatshirt and hood.

Once he had his scrolls in his pocket, and his wallet in the other, he wondered if he was missing anything. A tug on his arm showed Luna waving around his sword in its other form, and he held his right arm out, where she slid the band up until it was snug on his arm.

"I still don't understand how this can turn into a sword."

Well, that was a bit of a lie. He knew how it worked, the sword being made of several parts that locked together to make up the sword. The ribbon made up one of the clinks in the band, and it was what allowed him to make the sword shift between the two forms with a single pull.

"You know, we should step it up another notch. I doubt people would notice the band transforming on its own while I pull the pistol out." Azura said, looking into Luna's eyes.

She nodded in response, coming in close to hug him, her tail wrapping around him as she did so.

Azura let out a quiet laugh as he hugged her back. "Love you too, mom."

As he left the room, he was met with an open door straight to team RWBY and their dorm. Had they somehow left it open?

"I doubt Weiss would have allowed this."

A shuffle inside of the room told him he wasn't alone, and the blur of rose petals confirmed it to be Ruby. The girl appeared in front of him, face slightly red.

"Is there a reason why you're running around in your room with the door wide open?" Azura said, raising an eyebrow.

Ruby looked left and right before answering. "I...er, well...I lost my scroll. And I figured I left it here."

Azura ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "And you thought that making dozens of rose petals would help?

Ruby blinks once. Then twice. She grabbed her hair as she let out a small shout. "Okay, I admit, that wasn't the smartest thing I have done." She turned around, looking over the room. "Don't tell anyone! I don't want them to think I can't be grown up and mature."

"I doubt that they would think that."

"Nope!"

She was back at it, pacing around the room as she looked for her scroll. A look on both sides of the hall and a peek in the room as he leaned against the door frame showed that Summer was nowhere to be seen. He figured that she was with Yang. I mean, she was her mother as well, right?

"Why don't you just have me call your scroll? It'll be easier that way."

She stopped in her pacing before turning towards him. "Yes! That would be fantastic if you could do that."

After getting her scroll number, they found the scroll under her pillow. Azura shook his head, amused as she had a little victory dance.

"Shall we head on over?" He asked.

"Yep." Was the reply, the short girl popping the 'p'.

As they walked, Azura took notice of her change of clothing. Instead of what he thought she might wear, that being her combat dress, she was in more casual clothes. A short sleeve shirt that was white with a red jacket was covering her top, barely hiding the headphones she had on. Black skinny jeans were on, and her boots were now simple red shoes. The cloak was missing as well.

"That's different than usual. Am I just that simple when it comes to clothing?"

Ruby laughed. "No, you just don't have a lot of casual clothing. But, thanks for noticing."

Azura hummed, watching Luna float around Ruby, studying her outfit.

"Oh, and our groups have been formed, mainly between what people want to see. It's for those who have not seen a lot of Vale, so what do ya want to see?"

"Well, we will see. What are the groups?"

"Well, we have a group with Yang, Ren, Nora, and Blake, and she said she was going to show the libraries and museums, and probably some crazy place, if I know Yang. Another group is headed by Weiss, since it seems like she wanted to go on some monument hunt. I'm not sure why, but she seemed determined to go at it blind. Jaune and Pyrrha are going with her."

Ruby took a breath, about to continue before Azura spoke.

"Isn't that the opposite of what we were trying to do?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, yeah. But she was adamant about it. And I am the in final group, with Pyra with me. I'm not so sure what we will be doing, but the groups will meet up for lunch before breaking and once more for a airship back to Beacon."

"Well, I have a place to go to, it's near to the airship docks, and it's how I know the way to Beacon. And, I'll go with you and Pyra. One sounds possibly dangerous, knowing Yang, and the other sounds tiring. Plus, I get some peace if I go with you and Pyra." Azura replied.

Ruby nodded with vigor. "That sounds good to me! And, we can go to your stop first, since it's nearby."

After they made it to the mess hall, Azura grabbed what he could find and sat back down to eat. He only got to eat after he and Pyrrha were asked about their semblances and that exercise they did. It took a few minutes to get their questions over with. He liked them, as he knew Pyrrha did, but it was still their secret to hold. He hoped they would leave it as is for now.

He was finally eating as he watched the discussion of places to go to happen between everyone, amused as they put just a tad bit too much thought into it all. They decided upon a diner called 'Torches' for lunch around one in the afternoon. Soon after, they were on a airship to Vale. Azura noticed that most of the group was wearing their usual combat gear. However, Jaune was stripped of his armor, and Pyrrha had a brown sweatshirt on and loose jeans, a pair of gray sneakers on her feet. Pyra was the other one wearing different clothing, a black long sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans. Her combat boots were switched with black work boots.

Azura was still amused as the airship left the dock, seeing Jaune already look uncomfortable as he sat near the trash can. Poor guy couldn't catch a break.

"So," Ruby started as she sat down next to Azura. "You excited to see Vale beyond the small stuff you've already seen?"

Azura nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "I'd say so. You still have no idea of what to do?"

"Well, I do have an idea…" Ruby said, fidgeting in the seat.

"What are you thinking of?"

Ruby blushed, looking embarrassed. "Well, I tend to just check weapon shops out. I admit to not knowing every part of Vale as well as the shopping districts. I'm not really sure what else would be good."

"I'm fine with that." Azura said, before looking at Pyra. "That sound good to you?"

Pyra nodded. "Sounds perfect. I might already be familiar with the area, but I didn't have many ideas of what to show you anyway."

"See? We'll be fine with whatever you decide to show us."

Ruby smiled. "Good. We'll start with your destination first."

"His destination?" Pyra asked, leaning forward to see.

Azura was the one to answer. "The 'Adel Boutique'. Some...friends of my mother were kind enough to accomodate me the month before Beacon started."

Pyra hummed her answer and shot him a look. He smiled in return.

"Well, that is certainly nice of them! I can't wait to see them." Ruby said, her eyes warm as she smiled.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They got off the airship and entered the central plaza, the buildings nearby marking the line between Beacon and Vale. As they gathered into their groups, they all confirmed when they would be meeting up, before splitting up. Ruby turned to Azura and Pyra once she saw them leave.

"Well, show we go?"

They both nodded, and Azura took the lead.

"You know, this is kinda ironic. I'm new to this place, and I get to show you something you guys haven't seen." Azura said.

Ruby gawked as Pyra snickered.

"Well, you won't be doing that for long." Ruby retorted after a second, sticking her tongue out.

Azura looked back as he walked. "You're kinda adorable when you act annoyed."

He quickly turned around after. Despite him finding it funny that a ghost was discussing something with a mute ghost, he still couldn't look at Summer without feeling anxious.

It only took a few minutes to reach the boutique, the sign flipped to say that it was closed still. The three of them walked in on Azura's insistence that it was okay.

"The doors wouldn't be unlocked otherwise. They are expecting me this morning." 

The inside of the store had a very warm interior, the chocolate brown walls a good contrast for the different colored clothing throughout the stores. If Azura didn't know better, he would say that this was just a average store. But as he walked through the store, he remembered how fashion-crazy the Adels were, the clothing having intricate designs on one side and bright, flashy colors on the other, and a lot in the middle. It was quite intimidating for someone who didn't put much into fashion and clothing.

As they moved through the store, Ruby and Pyra were whipping their heads back and forth. He couldn't blame them, he did the same thing when he first came here. They eventually reached the center of the store just as the Adel matriarch, Hazel Adel, walked out from the back, the woman looking like a older version of Coco, just with longer hair. Azura shivered as he remembered the woman showing him how she and Coco looked so similar in his time living with them. Or well, living in the second floor of the store. Not that he blamed them or hated them for it, they were still quite kind. They gave him shelter, food, and a decent living space. They just didn't have the space for him at their private home.

"Oh, if it isn't our white-haired boy! It's good to see you again, I do hope Beacon is treating you well." Hazel said, wrapping the boy up in a hug.

He was let go a second later with Hazel taking notice of Ruby and Pyra.

"Who are these cuties, Azura? Friends from Beacon?"

Azura replied as he looked around the store for Argo, Coco's father. "They're friends I met during the first day. The black haired one is my partner, Pyra Sol, and the other is Ruby Rose, leader of team Ruby, or R-W-B-Y. Where's Mister Adel?"

"He won't be here for a while yet, the old oaf. He's sleeping in, so it will just be me. Now, are you all on the same team?"

"Uh, no. They don't actually have a team." Ruby answered, eyes widening to further explain once she saw the confusion on her face. "They are a part of team Juniper, or team J-N-P-R, but not as an official team. There wasn't enough people for them to have a team, but they gladly accepted Azura and Pyra! I mean, I would have accepted them as well, but Headmaster Ozpin dismissed us before anything…"

Hazel laughed. "Cool down girl, I'm sure you would have helped them out. Just make sure you bring your team and that team Juniper next time."

She turned around and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go find your room? I know it wasn't much, but you still have some items in there that you might want. I'll talk to these lovely ladies while you go."

Azura smiled and saluted. "Will do, boss. Try not to deafen them with boring talk!"

Hazel mocked anger and replied. "Don't take that tone with me! Only my daughter should be enough of a rebel to do that."

Azura walked off with a lazy wave, making his way towards the back, Luna hot on his trail. He made his way up the stairs and to the second floor, which wasn't that big. It had plenty of storage room, and he had set up shop in the corner of the area. It wasn't bad by any means, it was actually kind of cozy, especially when he set some boxes up to make a wall for privacy. As he made his way to the back and rounded the wall of boxes, he saw that everything was all in place still. His small pile of books, with names ranging from 'Thieving Phantoms' to _'_Beneath The Mask'_,_ and the lamp he had next to the bed. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was a home of sorts.

He grabbed the bag that was on the ground, another item that he had left forgotten, and put the books inside of it. He put the bag on, before turning around and going back down to the actual store floor. He found Hazel talking about the event where she saw his weapon floating towards him, and fast walked to introduce himself again.

"I'm back! Now, why don't we get going?"

They all looked confused, Hazel asking the obvious question. "Why must you be in such a rush?"

Pyra finally caught what he was up to, following the conversation. "Well, I'm sure you have to be opening up soon, so we should get going. It was nice meeting you!"

She left with a smile, while Ruby, still not in the loop, stumbled after her. Azura gave a quick farewell, wishing her good luck for today's customers. He wasn't allowed to leave without giving her a hug, the Adel matriarch forcing him to promise to come visit sometime soon, and to say hello to Coco when she got back to Beacon.

He made his way to his friends, ignoring the confused glance from Summer, thankful to Luna for distracting her before she figured anything out.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The next place they visited was a store called 'From Dust Till Dawn'. It was on the outer edge of the shopping district that Ruby brought them to, and Azura would admit to liking the small and quiet location.

"This place is perfect for a socially awkward person like Ruby."

"I'm not socially awkward! I just don't do social stuff!" Ruby responded with a groan.

"Isn't that just the same thing?" Pyra asked.

Ruby blushed, embarrassed. "W-whatever. Let's just go and see the shop. It's been two weeks since I stopped the robbery here, I wanted to see how it was doing."

"So that's why you're the prodigy! Makes sense as to why you got into Beacon early." Azura exclaimed, putting a hand to his chin and nodding.

"I'm not a prodigy! I got lucky!"

"Now now, don't be modest." Azura replied, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

Pyra continued his joke, "It'll hurt your reputation if you refuse to acknowledge it."

Ruby looked taken aback. "You guys are like mini Yangs…that terrifies me."

They all laughed for a moment before entering the store, the old man at the counter seeming to brighten once he saw Ruby.

"Ah, I am so glad that you have come back! I wasn't sure how to properly go about seeing you, seeing as we are not allowed on Beacon grounds. I can finally thank you for what you did."

Ruby, looking obviously flustered, barely gave a 'no problem' before essentially running to the back of the store.

Azura answered for her. "She means well, sir. I think she is quite happy to have been here to help out."

The older man laughed, his eyes gleaming with gratitude. "I know. And your dust purchases will be free this time young lady, as a gift to show you my thanks!"

He never got a response. Pyra was left to look at the dust collections, possibly picking out dust to buy that she needed on her semblance, if he recalled one of their conversations correctly. He needed to refill on his dust bullets, so he asked the man to show him the bullets behind the counter. He pulled out his Beacon ID, which allowed him to purchase dust bullets legally, and refilled on his missing dust bullets. He bought some extra for later, the magazines filled with the ammo being put into a contained case that he placed in his bag once he paid for it. Azura paid his thanks to the Adel family for giving him funds. He'll have to get a part-time job at some point if they weren't paid for the missions that Beacon gave once they were allowed to take them on.

He found Ruby in the corner, hiding her face in a magazine. It brought a smile to his face knowing that she really could not socialize when put on the spot.

After they left the shop, they wandered around the rest of the shopping district for a while. Azura was started to get a really good idea of what kind of place Vale was. Despite staying in Vale for a month before Beacon, he never really explored that far, not to mention that the Adel household was that far from the city had a rustic feeling, reminding him of gray skies and Atlas. The buildings were tall, stretching decently far up, and the streets were busy. He was sure had seen hundreds of people so far.

Eventually they all got a text at the same time, finding out that Yang had sent it in a group chat with everyone in it.

_YXL: "Heyo other groups. If you haven't noticed, it is two in the afternoon. Wanna get some grub?"_

"You guys hungry? I am." Ruby asked.

Getting two nods for answers, Ruby texted the group chat.

_RR: "Yeah. Azura and Pyra say they are as well."_

_JA: "Well, let's meet up. We still going to 'Torches'?"_

_YXL: "Yeah. It's near the Airship dock for Beacon, only a few blocks away. Have fun finding it!"_

Azura groaned. "Really?"

Ruby shook her head. "That's Yang for you. Come on, I know where it is."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura loved this diner already, the food was just that good. After a half hour or so, when most of them were done eating, they started to discuss what they would do next. As they were talking, Yang's scroll rang out, the blonde sliding out of her seat to take it.

"What's up?" A pause, a long one. "I mean, I can make it. Give me thirty minutes."

Ruby waited for her to sit back down before asking her question. "Was that the Beacon garage students? Is your bike having problems?"

"That's what I was told. Not quite sure why that is, but I said I would meet up with them to help, since they don't know all of the parts of the bike just yet."

There was several nods before Yang spoke up again. "Anyone care to join me and go back to Beacon?"

"That would be lovely. I've grown tired of sightseeing." Weiss said.

"You mean aimlessly running around?" Jaune added.

Weiss shot him a glare. "What was that?"

Pyrrha went to diffuse the short-tempered girl. "He meant nothing by it! I'm sure he is just merely tired."

Weiss sighed, but said nothing else. After a few minutes, Yang left, taking everyone else who wanted to go back. Azura was out the door after them, and held the door for the other members that decided to hang out more before taking a airship back. That left Pyra, Blake, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Azura himself to decide what to do.

"Anyone want to go anywhere in particular? I have no problem just wandering around." Azura asked.

Pyrrha groaned before responding. "Please no. I'm sure Weiss had good intentions, but I have no desire to walk and run for hours again."

"It is quite a feat to tire the Mistral champion." Pyra said in a teasing tone.

"Even I have my limits."

"Why don't we try the area around the library. It's nearby, and quiet, and quiet sounds nice at the moment." Blake suggested.

Azura had to double take for a moment. "It's nice to hear you speak Blake. You're not much of a talker, are you?"

"No. Is that a problem?"

Did her bow always twitch?

He shook his head before responding. "Not at all. It fits you, plus I think it's good to have a quiet friend you can just hang out with in peace."

He saw a faint smile on Blake's face before returning to a more passive state.

"Well, I actually know how to get there." Pyra said.

"Then take the lead." Ruby said, waving an arm past her.

Blake was correct, this part of the city was quiet. On one side, there was places to get food, with plenty of people having conversations without the bustling of the more crowded parts of the city, while the other side had a sizable park that stretched for a while.

The air felt lighter, and Azura felt a bit more at home here. It reminded him of the quiet place he, his mother, and the few other people that lived there had. It was barely big enough to be considered a village, but they were all hunters and huntresses who congregated for a peaceful place for family, and few Grimm ever came upon it. It was made of about twenty people for as long as he remembered, but he only spoke to the family who helped raise him after his mother died. They were the first people who weren't scared when they found him playing with the ghost of his mother. Was it that weird to unlock his semblance and find his own mother standing next to him?

He was shaken from his thoughts as Ruby bumped a shoulder into him. "What are you thinking about?"

Azura smiled as he took in his surroundings once more before looking at her as they walked. "The air felt lighter here, like nature. It reminded me of home."

She smiled. "That sounds nice. What was it like?"

"Peaceful, small, quiet. There weren't many people that lived there."

"That reminds me of Patch!" Ruby exclaimed. She went to explain further. "It's an island off of the shore of Vale."

Azura laughed. "I knew that, Ruby. It's where Signal is located."

"Well, what about the place you lived? You haven't really told me what it is called."

He ruffled the back of his hair and smiled. "That's because it doesn't have a name. Very few people live there, and it's out in the wilderness. It was made up of around three or four huntsmen families and me and my mother."

Ruby looked confused, but didn't act upon it. "It does sounds like a good place to be for peace. My dad always says that's why he likes Patch."

"It was. Perhaps I could show you someday. It's north of Vale."

"Only if I get to show you Patch. I want you to see Zwei."

"It's a promise then." Azura said with a nod, holding out his pinky finger.

"Yep!" Ruby replied, completing the pinky promise.

The rest of the walk was quiet as Azura and Ruby caught up with the group, small talk between the five of them mingling in with the ambiance. They found the library that they were searching for shortly afterwards, and walked inside. It was spacious, spanning up three floors, and stretching for a distance. Green-tinted windows lined the walls and carpet filled the flooring, with overhead lights hanging above.

"Well, this place looks nice." Azura said.

"I have to agree." Blake said.

They found a directory that labeled what they would find, and where it could be found. On the first floor, they had books for educational purposes and other assorted items. The second floor had fiction and books on legends. Things such as historical books and journals from famous individuals were on the third floor.

Ruby looked like she had just found her favorite candy. "Going to the second floor! See ya later!"

She was speaking rather fast, but they managed to hear her.

"I guess I'll make sure she does nothing crazy." Pyrrha said. "Does anyone care to join me?"

"Yeah, why not. It should be entertaining." Pyra said, shrugging her shoulders.

Azura put his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. "Well, I'm not sure about you, but some peace and quiet sounds good to me. Want to join me on the third floor?"

Blake nodded absently and did not respond, staring intently behind him. When she started her way towards the entrance again, Azura followed closely behind her, noticing that she seemed agitated. He looked around, wondering what could've caused her current mood, and finally found a few clues. As far as he could see, no faunus were found. It could have been pure coincidence, but he quickly found what could have been holding her attention. A sign that signalled that Faunus were not allowed, and he then found another one on the outside of the building.

It sickened him.

He quickly made his way to Blake, who was on a nearby bench, and it was obvious that she was angry. Azura couldn't understand why, she wasn't a Faunus. Not that he knew the racism against Faunus personally, since he had no discernable trait. If he had never experienced it up close and still hated it, why couldn't Blake be mad?

"You okay?"

"Why are you still here?" Blake asked, a hint of malice making it into her usually calm tone.

"Because you left so suddenly, looking angry. I understand why you wouldn't like the Faunus being treated that way, but it's surprising to find a human so passionate about it." Azura said, hoping to calm her down.

Her grip on the hem of her shirt tightened. "Is that all? Can a Human not feel that way? You don't seem to care."

Azura sat down on the other side of the bench, careful to give her space. "I do care. I'm proud to be a Faunus."

Her amber eyes focused on him. "What?"

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah, it sounds weird. I clearly do not look like a Faunus. My mother, Luna, is who I got it from. I'm technically half-fox Faunus. I have a picture of her if you want proof, we'll have to go back to Beacon for it though."

Blake shook her head, looking back down. "No, I believe you."

She sighed and shifted to be a few inches away from him.

"I'm sorry for letting my anger out on you."

"It's okay. We both knew places like this would exist. We can find another place for books next time we come to Vale."

They sat next to each other in silence, waiting for the others.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**April 25th **

**Thursday**

**Cloudy**

The past few days has shown the more simple side to schools life, even with Blake being less responsive for the first two days. The rumors still circulated around, but it was normal. Monday had more homework assigned to team RWBY and JNPR(AP), and a few fun matches to watch. Yang fought and won her match, and Pyrrha destroyed her opponent, showing the reasons why she was some big deal in Mistral. Tuesday came and went, Yang continuing to destroy his back with how often she brought him to the ground. Wednesday brought more fun as Azura and Pyrrha played the same game. Miss Goodwitch no longer said anything about his semblance.

Thursday was simple so far, it seemed to be just another day. That is, until Miss Goodwitch called for a single Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester to get ready for a one-on-one match. The blonde boy seemed utterly terrified as he walked down to the arena, and a look towards Pyrrha showed her frown. Azura leaned closer to figure out what the issue was.

"What's the problem here? You both seem unsure of this."

She turned her head towards him, before looking back. "It's...well, he's not really the best fighter. I'm sure you saw that during initiation."

He couldn't really recall seeing him being a poor fighter, seeing as when he was in a fight, he was not looking after the others. He would just have to take her word for it as he shrugged to give her an answer.

"Begin!"

The only action taken was Cardin running towards Jaune while the blonde merely watched from behind his shield. The bigger boy slammed his mace down onto the shield and kicked Jaune while he was struggling to stay standing. Cardin stood there, a smug look on his face, almost saying that he found his prey. Jaune struggled up to his feet, keeping his eyes on Cardin while he caught his breath. Cardin gave little time, as he started to run at Jaune again, slamming his mace on Jaune's shield, but was met with more resistance as Jaune managed to hold his ground, poking out of his shell like a turtle as he stabbed towards Cardin, forcing him to back away.

Cardin looked rather annoyed at the act, almost like he was furious that Jaune would dare to take action against him. Their aura was at 91% for Jaune, 97% for Cardin.

Azura was shocked. "His aura is massive. Even with the shield, that is small amount of aura missing for the strength Cardin has."

Yang was the next to comment. "Big aura won't save him from losing."

"I believe in him!" Ruby said, a certain passion entering her voice.

The fight went on for a few more minutes, and it was clear that Jaune's strategy, while not horrible, would not result in victory. Cardin was at 73% aura, while Jaune was at 40%.

"For a leader, he is lacking in ideas." Weiss commented, her cool tone almost cutting the air.

"I hate what the Ice Queen is implying, but he won't be winning like this."

Weiss was ready to reprimand Azura before Yang cut in with her loud voice. "Ice Queen? I love it! We got Snow and Ice Queen, you guys are like two peas in a pod!"

Weiss shot a glare at Yang, sparing Azura only a 'I hate you' look as he smiled sheepishly. He hadn't meant it to turn into a nickname.

"Well, he doesn't look like he has no clue as to how to swing a sword." Pyrrha said, remaining hopeful.

The battle only lasted a minute longer, with Jaune at 23% aura and getting knocked out of the arena after being backed into a corner. Cardin was just barely above sixty percent, breathing a little harder than usual, but still smiling smugly, like he hadn't been held off for minutes, even if Jaune did very little else beyond tanking the hits.

"He has longevity." Azura commented.

"But poor skill in his own weapon." Weiss countered.

"That is correct. Perhaps he chose to switch what weapon to use?" Azura continued.

Weiss took a moment to respond. "But why would he do that? I appreciate you playing the advocate for Jaune, but that match was odd."

He had not argument for that, he knew she was right.

Miss Goodwitch cut off the conversation as she gave her usual advice. "Mister Winchester, you may have won the match, but make sure your arrogance doesn't get the better of you. Mister Arc made you run for minutes as he took hit after hit, please conserve your energy. As for you, Mister Arc, you have shown very unremarkable combat abilities so far, despite being in only one match. Make sure you do not prove unable to fight in the coming weeks.."

As she called for the next participants to go, Jaune made his way to his friends, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Hey guys. I must have looked bad out there, yeah?"

"You did fine for your first match. Besides, that Winchester fellow is certainly strong." Pyrrha said.

Azura felt weiss put her eyes on him, almost trying to gain his attention. When he did briefly meet her gaze, he found a sense of frustration. He felt the same, Pyrrha was giving him a bit too much credit. He didn't do bad, per se, but he certainly did not do fine.

The fight wasn't mentioned at all for the day, but dinner had one less person talking, and it wasn't Blake.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**May 9th**

**Thursday**

**Mostly sunny, few clouds**

It had been three weeks since Jaune had lost his first match to Cardin, and it wasn't looking good for him. He was put into a match every combat class, and it was not helping his case. He had won a single match, against other students that weren't at the highest skill level, but it was more because of his massive aura than anything else. They had just left combat class, and Jaune looked even more defeated than Azura had ever seen. Cardin had won again for the fifth time, Miss Goodwitch had seemingly insulted him, likely without meaning to, and Pyrrha hovering over him, like Luna and Summer did to him and Ruby respectively, did not seem to help.

Over dinner, Nora was telling some grand tale, with Ren lazily fixing the lies in the retelling of her dream. She was already in the middle of it.

"It was a dark night, barely any light shining on the ground..."

"It was midday."

"And as me and Renny traveled through the crumbled ruins of the town, we encountered several packs of Beowolves…"

"We were in the forest, and it was two Ursa."

"We were struggling to even make it through the town center…"

"It was over in a minute, barely a dent in our auras."

"We skinned the Beowolves and made butt loads of money!"

"You can't skin the Grimm, Nora. We got a thanks from the local farm that was having trouble."

Azura had to admit, it was entertaining to watch Ren tell the actual story over Nora's fantasized dreams. It was quite a simple affair, but a look over at Jaune as he sat next to Ruby said that he wasn't paying much attention.

"Jaune? Is everything okay?" Pyrrha asked as she leaned forward.

He looked up, looking wooden and not all there. "Wha-? Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Never better!"

Jaune looked anything but good. He looked downtrodden.

Ruby spoke next, twiddling with her fingers. "Well...you just look...not okay."

He waved his hand to dismiss the concern. "No, no. Really, everything is great."

Pyrrha continued. "Even with Cardin?"

Jaune looked away for a moment. "What do you mean? Cardin is just fooling around, you know how he is."

"By bullying you?' Pyrrha retorted, staying as calm as ever.

"Pft. Name one time cardin has bullied me." Jaune said, using air quotations over the word 'bullied'.

"Knocked your school materials out of your hands." Pyrrha said.

"Unlocked your shield to trap you in a door." Ruby supplied.

"Locking you in a rocket locker." Ren added.

"Launching it." Nora said in a singsong voice.

Azura snorted at the last one, stopping once Ruby elbowed him. He muttered a quick apology to her, satisfying the younger girl.

Pyrrha continued after a moment. "If you ever need any help, you know that we would help you."

He seemed almost insulted by the remark, but something caught his eye before he could retort. Following his gaze, he saw Cardin bullying a rabbit Faunus student. As Azura stood and went to move around the table, he saw Jaune stand up roughly, freezing him in place. Azura saw Blake look ready to move as well.

Before either boy could so much as walk, the chocolate brown haired Faunus broke away from Cardin, rushing off towards a far corner. Jaune walked away with a sigh, shoulders slumped again. Azura saw Cardin grinning smugly, he and his team standing up and moving the other way. An anger boiled up inside of him, a desire to put Cardin in his place.

Azura was rushed out of the mess hall by the rest of the group before he could go after team CRDL, feeling Blake place a hand on his back to give him a push forward. He put his feelings away, knowing what Blake was attempting to convey without words.

They were in the library, working on their school work. If it weren't for Ruby keeping his attention on the work, he wouldn't have been able to work at all. Despite that, he couldn't help but notice that Jaune was missing.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Another week (a bit longer than that.), another chapter. This is what I am trying to achieve, so that I can keep my motivation going. I am enjoying writing this, so it isn't that hard to keep writing. Anyway, this is the Jaundice arc coming up, so I want to give some more depth to it and Jaune. I feel that this was not given the screen time it needed to become the cornerstone of growth for Jaune as a character. I hope you liked the moments in Vale and character conversations. I suck at group conversations, so I apologize if I keep them between four or five characters when there are ten characters present.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! **


	6. Pride Only Takes One So Far

**Another week, another chapter. This one went a little longer, not that I mind, but I do hope you enjoy it! I hope you like the method I am using to keep track of the days now, I feel that it is a much improved aspect compared to what I was doing.**

**Have a good day/evening!**

**Chapter 6: Pride Only Takes One So Far**

**.**

**.(Starting Chapter)**

**.**

**May 13th**

**Monday**

**Sunny**

It was early in the morning, and Azura was already up and about. He figured that he should start to get a workout schedule going, and went to planning it over the weekend. In the mornings, he would run around the edge of the campus for an hour to build endurance, and in the afternoon, he would spend forty minutes in the gym section of the training halls, mainly building up his strength, and spend thirty minutes to sharpen his aiming in the gun range area of the training halls after combat class.

He could probably do more, but doing all of this on top of combat class would be enough for him to keep in shape and more. Along with eating healthily and in portions, he would say it was rather well rounded. When he asked last night if anyone in the group would like to join him for parts of the workout or the entire thing, Pyrrha, Pyra, and Yang readily agreed to accompany him for the full thing, both girls stating that it would be for the best that they did something to stay fit and healthy. Ruby would join him for the gym and gun range portions, saying that she had enough endurance for a lifetime, and Blake gave the same reasoning. Weiss, Ren, and Nora had their own workout plans to use.

By the time he had finished everything and brought it up, Jaune was missing. He was starting to not hang out with them, Azura noticed. No one mentioned the shift, but Pyrrha said that she would ask him if he would join in.

So now, at five in the morning, an hour before the mess hall opened and four hours before Grimm Studies started, Azura sat on a bench just outside the front entrance of the dorms in blue gym shorts and a white undershirt. Not a minute later, Pyrrha, Pyra, and Yang walked out to meet him, all giving him a greeting. They were in an assortment of gym clothing, with Yang being a showoff, showing as much muscle she could. She was a brawler, and Azura finally understood why he always got his behind handed to him in those hand-to-hand combat classes. Pyrrha was in a black undershirt and red shorts, while Pyra was wearing black leggings and a black long sleeve undershirt.

"Hey, you three. I assume Jaune declined?" Azura asked.

Pyrrha shook her head. "Not exactly. He just said that he was busy. I did get him to agree to the afternoon portion, and he has no ranged weaponry, so he would not be joining us for that anyway."

Pyrrha looked like she had more to say about Jaune, but stopped there.

Azura wanted to doubt Jaune being 'busy', but he quickly shook those thoughts away. "Right. Well, let's get some stretches in before we start running."

About twenty minutes in, it was clear that Pyrrha was by far the most active runner out of the four of them, with Yang in second. Azura was much closer to Yang but he started to hang back to keep an eye on Pyra, since she seemed to be starting to tire.

Thirty minutes in, they came to a stop near the Beacon garage, which was across the way from the training halls that they passed a few minutes ago. There was a vending machine with water and other assortments of snacks, all of them healthy, and Azura flashed his lien debit card to the scanner, and tapped in that he needed four water bottles. Azura was glad to the Adels for giving him monthly checks of some money for him to use. He used it sparingly, even getting them to agree to send less money if he clearly didn't need it, since he felt bad just thinking of abusing it.

"Perhaps I should get a part-time job working at the boutique." He mumbled to himself.

The bottles were tiny, but they worked for a small break to catch their breath before they got going again. As they were preparing again, Azura noticed that Pyra was still leaning against the wall.

"You two can keep going. I just need a bit longer before I get going."

Yang readily agreed, and Pyrrha got caught up in it when she was challenged to a race to the next building before going to a normal jog, her competitive spirit rising in her eyes. They were gone within seconds, as fast as rockets.

"Thanks." Pyra said.

"Don't mention it. You don't have the endurance like us, if I were to guess." He replied, laying a hand on his waist.

She nodded. "I would say so. You three are certainly something."

"Well, I can always slow down for you. I'm sure Yang and Pyrrha would do the same."

"Please, there's no need for that. I'm just not as far along as you three. Besides, I can catch up over time." She said, pushing off the wall. "You ready to get going again?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Azura said in response.

They finished the rest of the way to the dorms, where they started, with five minutes left before it hit six. Pyrrha and Yang were waiting there, looking like they got here only shortly before they did.

"Well, Beacon is certainly larger when you go around the outer edge of it. Good catch, Snow." Yang said, giving him a thumbs up.

He chuckled. "Thanks. I spent a little bit of time trying to figure this one out."

"I'm always glad for aura. It allows us to be able to exercise like this everyday without a huge consequence, beyond having a little less aura than usual." Pyrrha said.

Azura had to agree. "It'll only be less if we keep practicing, especially with Goodwitch having a day focused more on aura control."

"It'll help Jaune a lot…" Pyrrha whispered.

Azura heard her, but was unsure of the meaning of it. He figured that she would say something if she felt that she should.

They went to their dorms to shower and get ready for the day, spending a bit more time doing so since they had more time before needing to go to class. The day went by as normal, Professor Port spouting some random story that bored the living daylights out of everyone. Azura wasn't sure how Pyra or Pyrrha could even deal with it. He could understand Weiss, the workaholic that she was, busily writing down any detail that she deemed important enough to know.

In history, however, he found that a few things were different. They had some older students in class, seemingly coming back from missions. That rabbit Faunus that Cardin bullied was just in front of him, but more importantly, he saw Jaune farther away, looking uncomfortable to be next to team CRDL. A look to team RWBY and NPR(P) showed that they had noticed as well, with Blake narrowing her eyes and Pyrrha sighing softly.

The class started before anything could be done about it, with Doctor Oobleck rushing into a new topic, that being the 'Faunus Rights Revolution', mostly going over who was on either side, as well as what each side was fighting for. He finished the lesson with a brisk reminder that all students were equal and should be treated as such, speeding through the students in a manner similar to Ruby and her semblance to hand out a school assignment. As students left, Azura saw the rabbit Faunus exit the room, and decided to chase after her, sending Luna to go after her ahead of him. He heard a cry from his friends as he suddenly left their side, but he did not spare them a single glance as he went through the door.

It took him a few minutes, and a guiding hand from Luna, before he managed to find the chocolate brown haired girl, who was about to leave the building. The girl noticed his approach, turning her brown eyes on him.

"Um, can I help you?" She asked, shoulders tensed.

She had a accent that Azura didn't recognize, it was cute to him.

Azura shook his head. "Well, no. But, I have been meaning to speak with you. I'm Azura, if that helps."

The girl seemed to recognize the name. "Azura? As in, Azura Heart?"

Azura was left confused. "Yes? Wait, how do you even know my name?"

The girl giggled. "Well, my leader knows you. My name is Velvet Scarlatina, of team Coffee, or C-F-V-Y. We're fourth years. Does the name Coco Adel ring a bell to you?"

Understanding flashed through his mind. "I do! I had to live with her parents before Beacon."

Velvet nodded. "Coco told me as much. Come along, I can introduce her to you."

As they walked, Azura looked at his scroll, finding messages from Ruby, Yang, and Pyra, all wondering where he went. He quickly sent them a message, saying that he was with a friend and would join the rest of them in the gym soon.

Soon, they were in the dorms, and in front of the door that he assumed led to team CFVY. Velvet opened the door, allowing Azura to enter before her, closing the door as she came in after. A look around the room showed that only one other person was currently in the room, who he recognized to be Coco, and she was currently watching him. She was wearing some combination of clothing, most of the names of the clothing going over his head. She was wearing a lot of light brown and coffee brown colors. A moment later, she spoke.

"Hey Bunny? What's this first year kiddo doing here?"

Velvet facepalmed with a sigh. "Really? This is the 'kiddo' that you were going on about for a day or two."

The girl simply smiled, brushing the strip of light brown hair away from her face as her dark brown eyes focused on Velvet. "You sure about that? I was hoping you were snagging this boy for yourself. I would have left"

Velvet simply grew red in the face. "Coco!"

Coco laughed as she stood. "Relax, Bunny. I was just joking around."

She moved towards him, her heels giving her a inch on him, as she sized him up. He had forgone his Beacon uniform ever since he found out that they didn't seriously enforce the rule, so she was currently going over his casual wear, which consisted of most of his normal wear for combat, except for the black jeans and dark red short sleeve shirt. She finished looking him over, nodding once.

"Not bad kiddo. Were you wearing that before or after my mother dressed you up?"

"After." He said. "Does she do that to everyone?"

Coco laughed again. "You bet she does. Be glad I wasn't there, I would have played dress up with you. Cover up those muscles, not that it would be that hard, since you seem to want to be fit and lithe more than anything else...anyway, do that, keep that feminine face as is, and dress you up in female clothing."

Azura was horrified by her thought process.

"I don't think he seems fond of the idea, Coco." Velvet said, stepping in front of him.

"Geez, I try to go and make a joke, and you get all defensive for the guy. Besides, I want you to tell me that he doesn't look at least a little bit feminine." Coco said, waving a hand towards Azura.

Azura felt that he should speak. "Well, most people that see me say that I look younger and more female. At least, my face and body. My mother always said that I look like a carbon copy of her."

He didn't like the glint in Luna's eyes. It was like she missed some excellent idea from when he was a kid.

Coco looked like she had just struck gold. "See! Even he agrees."

"Not to the dress up part. I would prefer to keep some of my dignity intact, please."

"Fine." Coco said, letting a drawn out sigh release.

She sat back down, and looked over at Azura. "Well, what do ya need? Velvet must have brought you here for a reason."

"Well, I was just going to ask if Velvet was okay. When I introduced myself, I was just kind of dragged here. She seemed to recognize my name?"

Coco brought a hand to her chin and nodded. "Makes sense. I couldn't help it, my mother just kept talking about how cute you were before I left."

"Oh."

That was all he could think of saying.

Coco continued. "Well, if introductions are all that are needed here, why don't you get out of here. I'm sure you have some friends to go to. If you have any trouble, or just want a training buddy, come to me, you hear?"

"I'll keep it in mind, thanks. Uh, see the two of you later."

He left, confident that he had made both a friend and someone to never go to for clothing.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura would say that the strength workout went pretty well. Pyrrha and Yang had a weight lifting contest, Blake and Ruby were messing around on the machines to find which ones would be best for them, and Azura was making sure he had the appropriate weights. Even Jaune was getting into it, seeming to have an idea of what he wanted to work on.

Now, in combat class, Jaune was next to team JNPR this time, but clearly not talkative. Azura found himself antsy and not wanting to sit still. He wanted to get moving. Sure, his muscles were slightly sore, but it was something that his aura could easily fix. Once Goodwitch came out she was quick to announce the first match, that being Yang and and Nora.

The fight was amazing to watch. Just when it seemed Yang had total control over the crazed redhead, Nora would show off some other amazing trick. And as Nora showed a clear joy of pushing the advantage, Yang would combat it with her semblance, a purely anger-induced strength as her eyes turned blood red and her hair shined and almost bristled. It truly showed the truth of her soul, a strong and brave lady who wouldn't back down. Nora barely stood a chance after that, Yang's semblance turning her into some kind of tank, and was easily tossed out of the arena. They were both given the same advice after the fight, that being that they should never underestimate their opponent and get cocky.

Despite the brutal hits they both took from each other, Yang was as eager as ever and Nora was gleeful, almost like it never happened.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side." Azura said to Ren.

"It would be for the best." A hint of grimace was on his face, as if he was lost in a bad memory.

The next few matches weren't as amazing as the first one, not to say that they were bad, however. Azura was still feeling the itch to get moving, since he was only in a few matches ever since his battle with Ruby. He was currently on a four-win streak, and he wanted to see if he would get to five. He got his wish after the end of the current fight that was going on, between Ren and Russel Thrush. Ren was announced the winner, and Russel was told to not be so hasty to keep the engagement going when he was short of breath.

The next battle was Azura Heart against Blake Belladonna.

"Another member of team Ruby? Sounds fun." Azura said, allowing Blake to go down towards the arena first.

"You seem to have some odd luck." Blake remarked.

"Ah, come on, it could be worse."

"I won't go easy on you just because we share some ideals."

He chuckled. "I expect nothing less."

A few moments later, they were facing off against each other. They both held their weapons in hand. Blade and pistol in Azura's, katana and ribbon in Blake's. If he recalled, her weapon also worked while sheathed and could turn into a pistol that shot piercing ammo. At least it didn't pierce aura. Azura watched Luna hover over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to his opponent.

"Begin!"

They circled each other, slowly closing in towards the other. It was a quiet start to a fight, but Azura could feel the tension rolling off of his body. About ten seconds into the fight, and Blake was the first one to make a move. She shot off the ground as she pulled the ribbon taut, the dagger at the end of it gleaming. She was fast, but Azura knew better, having fought Ruby, and dodged it quickly as he ducked under her slice and shot her in the back with two ice dust bullets. Blake didn't seem that affected, but he saw the wince as she stretched her arm forward and shot a few bullets at him, giving him time to dodge, feeling a bullet graze his aura.

Getting back up on his feet, he found Blake already on him, and he brought his blade up, allowing it to take the hit of her sheath, and blocking the actual blade with the pistol, struggling to keep it straight.

"Sorry." He grunted.

Before getting any response, he focused his aura on his head and smashed his forehead into hers. It knocked her off of him, and he was quick to take her sheath and chuck it out of the arena as fast as he could. Blake was back on her feet, and went back to circling him, pistol form out and pointed at him once more.

He was caught in a circle, having to shuffle on his feet to keep an eye on her. He moved quickly, only to be met with Blake swinging a blade towards him, and a clash of blades ensued. It was rapid, and Blake clearly knew her speed. It ended with a kick to his gut and a few bullets as he sprawled on the ground. He was unfocused as he stood, needing to take in all the air he could to try and get back into it.

Blake would not give him that time as she slashed towards him, but he managed to raise his blade against her. It barely helped as she overpowered him and brought the blade down and out of his hand, before jerking a leg towards it to kick it away. His last defense was his pistol, which he brought upwards. He grabbed her clothing where he could, dragging her down to shoot his pistol into her stomach, but his first bullet was met with the evaporation of what seemed to be a clone.

"Semblance!" He gasped.

It was too late for him when he realized the fact, and a slash to his back dropped him on his knees. Blake came around in front of him, sauntering like a predator. As she raised her blade, looking to end the fight, he stretched his arm out to his blade. Luna understood the signal, already heading to get his weapon. Blake moved swiftly to end the fight, and Azura raised his arm to protect against a finishing blow, feeling his aura grind against the weapon. Moving on to a plan b, Blake brought the ribbon around the arm, attempting to drag the arm down to stab towards him in another manner.

Luna threw the weapon towards him, the blade spinning like a disco. She was fast, but this was faster, and Azura grabbed the weapon by the blade. Blake's eyes widened, realizing her mistake to attempt to bypass his last second defense with the ribbon, and Azura brought the hilt to her head with all the force he could muster. She dropped to the ground, fainting from the force, and Azura was dragged down to the ground with her from the ribbon still wrapped around his arm.

"Mister Heart is the winner!"

It was hardly as brutal as Yang and Nora, but he had to play dirty to get the victory. He was forever glad for aura as he looked at Blake's face. It would protect from cuts and all sorts of things, but it couldn't stop a surprise attack or if one were to not be paying attention.

Blake woke up a few seconds afterward, and rubbed the side of her head as she groaned.

"Did you have to hit me so hard?"

Azura sighed in relief. "Sorry about that. You going to be okay?"

Blake groaned again, but seemed to be more aware of her surroundings as the seconds passed. "I'll be fine. You just surprised me and I fainted from it. It's not like aura wouldn't protect me, since it was still partially activated."

Goodwitch called out towards them. "Are you feeling okay, Miss Belladonna? Do you need to go to medical?"

"No. I'll be fine. I'm feeling good, all my senses are clear."

Goodwitch hummed. "Fine, since you seem coherent, I'll let it go."

Blake reached down to unwrap her ribbon from around his arm, and Azura stood up once he was free. The discarded parts of their weapons were returned as Goodwitch used her riding crop and semblance, telekinesis, to return them. Once the two of them seemed healthy enough to stay, she started her routine to give advice.

"Miss Belladonna, I must give my compliments to your sharp thinking and ability to outsmart the opponent, such as with your semblance. You played Mister Heart during several parts of that fight, where he had no choice but to take it or take action to prevent it. However, to be very critical, you do not seem to have the best ways to end a fight and make an opponent give up or become unable to fight. It is either that, or you hesitated to do so. Even if Mister Heart is a friend of yours, you should still give your all in these fights."

She looked over at Azura. "Mister Heart, despite the odds that were against you, you showed a great ability to think up ways to get out of a situation. Even when you were on your knees, you brought ways you could to end a fight in any situation. I must commend your on-the-spot planning. However, you could have ended the fight in an easier manner. Miss Belladonna is not the best fighter for head-on fights, and you gave her the advantage by always playing her game instead of making more rules. She paused. "In any case, there is one more thing. While you did not do much, I appreciate that you are taking these more seriously, even if you barely showed the capabilities of your semblance. You would do well to make use of it more."

That sent whispers through the crowd. He could see the remaining members of team RWBY and JNPR giving each other a glace, with Pyra looking towards the ground.

"More rumors...just what I needed." Azura whispered.

Thirty minutes after combat class ended, at 4:30 p.m., Azura sat down against the wall and sighed as he watched everyone else on the gun range. Only Ruby, Pyra, and Pyrrha were practicing. As Azura, Blake, and Yang found out, a good fight in combat class would tire them out a bit too much, to the point of not wanting to lift a gun or their weapon up to shoot,

"Azura?"

"Yes, Yang?"

"Maybe we should cut the running down a bit. Make it not as long. That, on top of the weight lifting and combat class, might be a bit much." Yang said, putting her head to the wall.

Azura smirked. "Yeah. You might have a point."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**May 21st**

**Tuesday**

**Cloudy**

After history with Doctor Oobleck, Azura and Ruby were making their way towards the training halls, the others stating that they would be there soon, before quickly running off.

You have any idea as to why they ran off?" Azura asked.

Ruby shook her head. "Not at all, but they said they would meet us there. So it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"I suppose not." Azura said.

They continued talking aimlessly as they walked. After a few minutes, they found Jaune walking by, carrying more books and paper than he could seem to handle. The blonde looked slightly downtrodden, so they approached him.

"Jaune! Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"What are you doing anyway? The training halls are the other way."

Jaune looked around, almost warily, before answering. "R-right. I know that, but I can't make it. I'll be busy."

"With what?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, nothing that important." Jaune said, shifting the weight of the books. "Well, I'll be going. I wouldn't want to keep them waiting.

He walked off, moving faster than before. Azura looked at Ruby, who was looking frustrated, while Summer was watching Jaune leave. He ignored the ghost to place a hand on her back, ushering her forward.

"Come on Ruby. I'm sure he has his reasons."

Azura said this, leaving out the part that he was thinking, team CRDL had to have something to do with this. Ruby seemed to be lost in thought, simply allowing him to guide her.

About twenty minutes later, Azura noticed that Ruby wasn't all that focused on working out, so he walked over to try and help.

"What's on our young prodigy's mind?" Azura asked.

Ruby looked startled for a moment, before relaxing at seeing Azura. "It's nothing in particular…"

"Is it about Jaune?"

Ruby looked away, silent for a moment, before nodding.

Azura looked around the gym, seeing everyone busy working out and not paying much attention.

He looked down towards Ruby as she sat on the seat of the machine. "Well, how about we get changed and meet in the halls? We can talk then."

Ruby looked almost shocked to be asked. "Well...what about your exercise? You need to keep it daily during the week, right?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. You're more important than a bit of muscle." Azura responded, brushing her worries away.

Ruby's next words were quiet. "Okay...I'll see you in a bit."

They met up in five minutes, with Ruby following Azura as he walked in silence. After another minute or so, Azura figured that here would be a good enough place. He sat down against the wall, propping one leg up and putting his arm on his knee. He took a moment longer to check if anyone was around, before gesturing for her to sit down next to him.

Once Ruby was sitting down, he started. "So, you wanted to talk about Jaune. Is it about his odd behavior?"

A nod was the only response he got. He frowned, hoping that she would speak.

Then, an idea struck him. "Perhaps you really do have abnormal knees, little prodigy. Am I too lowly for you?"

"Normal knees! And that isn't funny!" She pouted, unable to stop some laughter from leaving.

Azura smiled. "Feeling better?"

Her silver eyes shone brightly. "A little."

"Want to talk about what's got you down?"

Her next words were a surprise. "Do you think I'm not good enough to be Jaune's friend?"

"What? Of course you are! You've been nothing but kind to Jaune."

"Well, what if it's not enough? What if I'm just a burden?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have all these people giving me special treatment. Yang is always trying to protect me, Beacon brought me forward by two years...a lot of students just keep looking at me like I'm some special little girl. What if Jaune got sick of being around me?"

Azura sighed. "Ruby, you know that isn't true. If anything, you are perfectly capable to be someone's friend."

Ruby shook her head. "Not good enough if he doesn't want to be around me. You were there about an hour ago. He wanted nothing to do with me…"

"Ruby. If he wanted nothing to do with you, he wouldn't look so sad to leave us."

It was a bit of a stretch, one that Ruby caught. "But then he ran off as soon as he could. What if he thought that I wasn't worth his time?"

Azura thought that he might have found the problem. "Is this because he was the first person to treat you kindly here?"

Her lack of response was telling.

Azura ran a hand through his hair, wondering what was taking Luna so long. "Well, I'm sure Jaune might just be busy."

"Azura? Can I tell you something? You have to promise to keep it secret though."

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't say no to those silver eyes, it was like she knew all of his secrets. "Of course. Your secret is safe with me."

"Well, I'm starting to regret coming to Beacon early. I mean, I want to be a huntress so badly, and I am glad to have met you all...but I miss the few friends I knew back at Signal."

"Ruby…"

"Please...just let me finish." She said, a sigh escaping her lips. "I struggle with conversations and making friends, and I'm not good with picking up social cues, and I don't know how to carry a conversation that doesn't have to do with weapons. I only made a few friends in Signal, and it was them approaching me to be my friend. I'm more open now, but I am still very socially inept." Her lips quivered as she stopped for a moment. "And now...after I made all these friends, I figured that Jaune would stay as the first friend I made in Beacon. Was it wrong to assume that?" She sighed, before mumbling. "I hate opening up like this…"

Azura was silent for a moment before answering.

"Ruby. Jaune isn't running away from you, and I can tell that he wants to be your friend still. How about this, would you like me to get Pyrrha to talk to you? She would give you a more concrete answer, if you don't believe my word."

He wasn't all too sure how true that was.

Ruby smiled slightly, which Azura could say fit her more than a frown. "I do believe you. Or, I would like to believe you." She stood up. "Okay. After combat class tomorrow, I'll ask Pyrrha. Can you...can you come with me?"

Azura smiled at her, one that Ruby returned. "Of course."

"Thanks. I'm going to go walk outside, I need some peace and quiet."

Azura knew what she was saying, she wanted to be left alone for now. "Then go. I'll wait for you in combat class."

"Okay."

Azura watched her walk off, leaning against the wall once she was gone. He sighed, wondering if it was about time he spoke to Summer Rose, the only response he got being Luna hugging him from the back.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**May 22nd**

**Wednesday**

**Clear**

Combat class was over, and Azura was walking with Ruby towards the entrance of the training halls, with Ruby explaining that she asked Pyrrha to wait for her there.

"So, she should be there already and I am keeping her waiting! We have to move!"

Azura continued their pace, much to Ruby's frustration. "She'll still be there, Ruby. Pyrrha is patient enough."

"With you! She doesn't know that you will be there." Ruby looked down. "What if she doesn't care to listen to me? She never seems to listen when I asked…"

Azura decided to intervene. "Ruby."

She looked over, and he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He was confident that she had no idea what kind of people she knew. "She'll be there. I promise."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She seemed less unsure of herself now, but stopped once Azura put a hand on her shoulder. "And, I don't mean to sound assuming, but I know how you feel. I used to struggle with social interactions, and I still do. If you want to, we can learn together."

She was silent for a while, so Azura spoke up again. "I mean, if you don't want to…"

She shook her head rapidly. "No! I mean, I was...ugh! I do want to. Please?"

Azura smiled. "Of course. Now, to our mission objective!"

"Operation 'Save Jaune' is a go!" Ruby exclaimed.

He was just happy to have the excited and happy Ruby back, and he hoped to never see her sad again. Where was Summer when he actually needed her? A look around showed that Luna was the only other person with them.

A minute later, they found Pyrrha waiting outside the entrance. The tall redhead seemed surprised to see Azura with Ruby.

"Well, hello Azura. I can't say I expected you to be here as well. Did Ruby need to speak with you as well?" Pyrrha asked, tilting her head slightly.

Azura shot Ruby a glance. "Something like that."

"Well, I wanted to speak with you about something." Ruby said.

If Azura never saw her uncertainty, he would think she was perfectly capable of holding a conversation.

Pyrrha was quick to figure out what was going on. "Jaune...right. Come, we will talk in a more secluded area."

So, Pyrrha did know something. After a few minutes, it was shown that Pyrrha had led them to the private gardens near the central tower.

Pyrrha and Ruby sat down, while Azura leaned against a nearby tree.

"Well, where to begin?" Pyrrha asked, mostly to herself.

"Well, there was the time you said that you would wait for Jaune after history. It was last Friday I think. And he was more distant ever since, even with the bullying." Azura supplied.

Pyrrha nodded. "Right. Well, I waited for him after class, and brought him with me to one of the rooftops to talk in private."

"Wait, so should you even be telling us this?" Ruby asked, looking like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, I shouldn't. But, it's for Jaune. Something is clearly wrong though, and I should do something to help."

"Okay. So, shall we continue?" Azura asked.

"Yes. I brought him to the roof, intending to offer my help in his studies, and maybe more. But he had some shocking things to say."

"Like what?"

"He didn't want to be helped. He said that he didn't want to be the damsel in distress, stuck in the tree as his friends fought in his stead, that he wanted to be a hero. His family came from a long line of heroes, according to Jaune"

Azura sighed. "What a prideful guy."

Ruby turned towards him. "Can you really blame him, though? I wouldn't want to be helped if I was him."

Azura thought back to his childhood, after his mother. The Blue family, the one that took him in. They had wanted to help, and Azura could remember refusing for the longest time.

"You have a point."

Pyrrha coughed to get their attention again. "Well, here comes the part that I really need you to keep secret."

"We promise." Ruby said, not even giving Azura a choice. Not that he wouldn't keep it a secret.

Pyrrha looked around, before leaning forward, forcing Azura to move closer. "He actually never truly got accepted to Beacon. He got forged documents. He never went to any combat school, or passed any tests…"

"Well, now it makes sense that he could never really seem to fight." Azura said.

"And he refused your offer to help?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. It was around that time that he stopped hanging out with us. Is it my fault that he is this way?"

Azura rolled his eyes. "What is with you guys and blaming yourselves for such a thing. Does no one think that Cardin might be doing something?"

"Like blackmail?" Pyrrha asked.

"What? No, of course not. I think Cardin is just making the bullying worse for Jaune."

Ruby spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "Well, why don't we find out? I'll talk to Jaune when I can, and see what I can find. It's my duty to my first friend at Beacon."

Pyrrha protested. "Why wouldn't I be the one to talk to him?"

Ruby gawked from shock, so Azura took over. "Well, Jaune doesn't seem that willing to talk to you. No offense, but he might be avoiding you the most.

Pyrrha looked almost angry. "Fine. I'll leave it to the two of you to figure something out."

She almost stalked out of the gardens, but her polite nature forced her to a stiff walk.

"Do you think I went too far?"

"I don't know…" Ruby responded.

Azura looked at Luna, thinking of a new plan. "Well, why don't you go on ahead. I want to stay a little longer."

"Well, will I see you for dinner? Ruby asked, looking a little hopeful.

Probably not, but he still smiled. "Of course. I'll see you later."

Once she was gone, he turned to look at Luna, who was already waiting for what he wanted to ask. "Go find Summer Rose. The two of us need to talk."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

He waited for more than twenty minutes before Luna came back with a confused Summer Rose.

"Miss, why are you bringing me here? This boy can't talk to us." Summer said, her voice not as high pitched as Ruby, but carrying the same soft and sweet tone.

"Who says that I can't, Summer? And that isn't 'Miss'. That's my mother, Luna."

Her reactions were still similar to Ruby. "Wha…?"

"I can hear you." Azura said, feeling more confident than he thought he would be.

Summer was still in a state of surprise, but came back to her senses in record time. A trained huntress, Azura figured. "How is this even possible?"

"My semblance, Coexistence. It allows me to speak with spirits and ghosts."

Summer couldn't do much to doubt it, considering everything. "Okay...while I am curious, I have to know why you decided to hide this."

Azura laughed. "Who wouldn't? A person who can talk with the dead, a person who can fight with the dead and speaks to open air most of the time? Most would consider me crazy, even if I showed it off."

Summer actually looked hurt, and Azura was instantly reminded of Ruby. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Ask any questions that you want."

Summer was quiet for a moment. "Can only you see us?"

"Currently."

"How?"

"It's a passive part of my semblance. In this form, you can interact with my personal belongings, such as my weapon, clothing, or even my body. Even your semblance can interact with me."

"In this form? You can activate it, then?"

"Yes. If I were to activate it, you would be visible and physical, able to interact freely. You would also have a replica of your weapon."

"So, if I wanted to, I could talk to my daughters?"

Azura was silent, hoping she wouldn't ask, even if he knew it would come up.

"Azura?" Summer asked as she crouched down in front of him, her silver eyes wide and desperate. "Please tell me I can do that."

"You can…"

"Then let's do that."

"We can't. Not yet." Azura said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Summer asked, not seeming angry at all.

"Ozpin wants to know first."

Even if he said it would be the right thing to do to have Ruby see Summer first, but he could face Ozpin compared to Ruby with this.

"Are you scared to see what little Ruby might do?" She asked, her eyes softening. "I have waited for years, I can wait a little longer."

"I can't do that to you! That isn't fair…" Azura said, already feeling bad for denying her.

Summer shook her head. "Azura. I am a mother, and I think Luna would agree that us mothers can wait a lifetime to see their children again."

"Right." Azura said.

"Why does Ozpin want to see me?"

"I don't know. I only know that he want to."

"Then let's go. We can get it out of the way."

Azura saw the way she gripped her arms as she stood.

"Do you not like Ozpin?"

"It's not that. But, years as a ghost changes a person, Azura."

She walked off, and Azura and Luna moved to catch up. The three of them walked towards the tower where Ozpin could be found, and Azura barely had to ask before he was given access to the elevator, being told something about having specific consequences that gave him direct access to Ozpin.

The elevator ride only had the horrible music to fill the silence. Once the door opened, the three of them stepped out to see Ozpin staring out his window, just like the last time Azura was here.

"Hello, mister Heart. It is good to see you again."

"Headmaster." Azura said, nodding his head in respect.

"Again with the formalities. Just Ozpin is fine." He said, turning around and walking towards the front of his desk, leaning against it for support. "Now, what can I help you with?"

"I did what you asked of me."

The older man's eyes widened for a moment, before pushing his glasses up and placing his mug of coffee on the desk behind him. "I see. Is that why you are here?"

His calm demeanor did nothing for Azura's nerves. "Yes. I can show you, if you wish to speak with her."

"So, you can do that, then. Interesting. And, if you would, I do wish to talk to her."

Once Azura activated his semblance, Luna and Summer appeared next to him. It seemed that even Ozpin couldn't believe it.

"Luna as well?"

His mother waved to him.

"Hello to you too. And hello, Summer. It has...been quite some time." Ozpin said.

"Ozpin." Summer said, looking quite, well, unlike the Summer that she had shown Azura.

Either Ozpin chose to ignore it, or he was very good at being dumb.

"This conversation will be a private one. I must ask you to leave, mister Heart. As well as your mother."

"I can't do that, sir." Azura said.

Ozpin sighed. "And why is that?"

"I don't mean it disrespectfully, but I can only keep ghosts visible in a certain radius, and I haven't seem to find any other way for it to work at the moment."

Ozpin closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought.

Summer did not have the same patience. "Whatever you wish to say can be said in front of him."

"I very much doubt that. Some things should not be discussed in front of a child." Ozpin replied.

Summer bit her lip. "Then ask me what you wish."

Ozpin stayed cool. "Of course."

Azura felt like he didn't belong here. The tension was rising, and the only thing that kept Azura from bolting was Luna holding on to him.

Ozpin spoke again. "You've changed Summer. Do you not trust me anymore?"

Summer breathed in and out, looking creepily calm. "I do trust you, but being dead for a decade or so will change a person. There isn't much for us to talk about, is there?"

Ozpin looked at Azura, and Luna wrapped her fox tail around his waist. "No. I have just a few questions for the moment."

"Ask away." Summer said, leaning against one of the pillars in the room.

"What happened on that mission?"

"I was in a fight of impossible odds. Not even the silver eyes could save me."

Silver eyes? What was so important about them?

"I see." Ozpin seemed troubled. He kept shooting Azura glances, almost like he expected the boy to attack him or something, before fully facing him.

"Mister Heart, do you know if something happens when a person dies and a ghost is formed?"

Azura licked his lips. "Well, not everyone becomes a ghost or a spirit, but the fashion in which they die usually causes a problem for them. Well, all I know is that my mother died with wounds to the throat, so she can't speak. We've tried all the methods we could, but the most we found was that she can do simple things, like pointing and stuff."

Summer seemed shocked. "When did you find this out?"

Azura put a hand to his chin to think. "I'm seventeen now...and I have known my mother as a ghost for about a decade. So, when I was seven, I guess. No one knows the Grimm that did it though." He said the last words with a clenched fist.

Summer was quick to make her judgement. "Ozpin, you have to do something about this. You wanted him to bring me to you, the least you can do is return the favor!"

"And I shall. I believe I know what could have possibly done this Luna, and I will look into it later."

Azura brightened up. It seemed that his goal was a step closer to completion. "Thank you, sir."

"Of course. You are a student of Beacon, and I must do what I can to help them. But, I do have a few more questions before I let you all go." Ozpin said.

They all perked up a little. Even if it didn't seem like it, Ozpin gave off quite a good aura of a leader.

"So, going off of what Azura has said. How did you die, Summer? Azura might be able to translate what you cannot do."

"Well, it was Grimm that brought me down. It was along the edges of Vacuo, and a mix of a lot of Grimm. I cannot say that I remember all of what happened. But, when I died, I remember a flash of light before anything happened. I think...the silver eyes did something."

Ozpin was frowning. "What do you have to say about that, mister Heart?"

Azura was confused by the silver eyes, but tried to think past them. "From what I can tell, I'm not sure what it would be. There's not enough info. It is possible that nothing has changed for her."

Ozpin hummed, breathing out heavily. "Then we will have to go with what you say. Let me know if you and Summer find anything else out in that regard. If not, I will call you here myself."

The man moved to be in front of Azura, and placed a hand on his shoulder. It felt like it was burning, the fire reaching into his chest. His very soul. He had to be seeing things, Summer's eyes were like a burning fire, and Ozpin looked like he had several spirits following him. They all looked like younger versions of the man standing in front of him. The man let go a second later, not noticing Azura's state, or ignoring it. "You are dismissed."

The man looked rather somber as they left, with Azura deactivating his semblance. His thoughts were a mess, and he stumbled his way to the open air once the elevator doors opened, the cool wind giving little relief. His chest felt tight, and he sat at a nearby bench with help from Luna and Summer, feeling sick to his stomach, and he felt that his legs were shaking. He felt like he just saw something unexplainable, something that shouldn't even happen.

Luna kept watch, ears up and alert, as she stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. Her grip was strong, anxious. Summer was once again in front of him, crouching, as she grabbed his face.

"Azura. I need you to look at me."

He did so, and those silver eyes burned into him. The power behind them felt so much more real than before. He wanted to look away, but found that he couldn't.

"Just deep breaths. I need you to calm down. Focus on my eyes. Listen to my voice."

He did so, and felt his desire to look away ebb away. The eyes that held so much strength in them looked softer, kinder. She was humming some lullaby to him, like he was a child, but Azura found that he didn't care.

After a half hour or so, he felt Summer suddenly take her hands away, the cold touch leaving his cheeks cool, and moving over to his side. He looked up from the ground as he sat on the bench, finding Ruby looking at him. Her silver eyes held a glimpse of the power that her mother's silver eyes held, but they looked so fragile. So innocent. Did people just not see this in Ruby's eyes? Was he going crazy?

"Azura? What are you doing here? You didn't show up to dinner at all." Ruby said.

He wanted to speak, but his brain felt so sluggish. It was like his mind was overloaded, and he was unable to figure something out. It was like he could only see the spirits around Ozpin, like it would choke him to death. The silver eyes glowed like a lighthouse in a sea of night, and Azura was a captain looking for a way to keep his ship together.

In the next moment, he felt hands grabbing onto his arms. They were warm, and he wanted nothing more than that. He was no longer trapped in his mind, and saw that his head was tilted back. He could see Ruby looking at him with concern, As she put her hand to his forehead, she jolted back a little, like she just touched ice, before putting it back.

Azura could feel the world coming back to him, and after a few seconds, he was fully back. He no longer felt like he was losing his mind, like he had stumbled into death's halls. He was shivering slightly, like he jumped into a lake in Atlas, but no longer sickly.

Ruby no longer had glowing eyes. It was like she never had them in the first place. He must have imagined them, there was no way those eyes were special. But then, Ozpin seemed to be keenly interested in them.

"Azura! Azura! Can you hear me?!"

Ruby was talking to him. Yelling. He had to respond.

"W-why are y-you so lo-loud?"

"Thank god. Are you fully here?" Ruby said, with a quieter tone.

Azura nodded his head against her knuckles, which still rested against his head. "Yeah...yeah, all here."

"What was that? You seemed so out of it, and you wouldn't stop looking at my face. You were shivering and it stopped once I touched you."

Azura said the first thing that came to mind, feeling his senses rapidly coming back. "My semblance. It must have flared up. I'm sure it has happened to you as well."

Ruby frowned. "Of course it has. When I first unlocked mine, I couldn't stay at a constant speed. But what you just did, that was scary. No semblance should almost cause...whatever that was. Just what is your semblance."

"You wouldn't want to know…" Azura said, looking past Ruby towards Summer, noticing that her eyes weren't glowing anymore either.

Ruby looked behind her, only to see nothing. "Azura, what are you talking about? Do you need to go the medics?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm feeling better now."

Ruby frowned deeper. "You clearly weren't okay! Azura, I will not move from this spot until you tell me what your semblance is. What if something like that happens again?"

Azura doubted that he would ever let Ozpin touch him again. "It won't happen again."

Ruby still did not move. "Even if it doesn't, wouldn't you want someone to know your semblance if it does?"

"Pyra knows." Azura countered.

"And she can't always be around. You usually spend time with her, Pyrrha, or me. And we're not always near each other."

"You really would not like to know." He said.

"Nope!" Ruby said, shaking her head.

"What?"

"Nope! You tell me about your semblance, or I send Yang after you."

Azura groaned. Why must he be friends with the most stubborn person ever? "Fine. But I'm not showing you yet. Sit down."

She moved to do so, and Azura had to admit to missing her warm touch.

And so Azura told her about his semblance. How he could see ghosts and spirits. How he could passively see and interact with them. How they can interact with him. First Pyra, then Ozpin, and now Ruby. It made him feel bad for keeping Pyrrha in the shadows, perhaps he would have to tell her later.

Ruby was looking towards the slowly turning night time sky, the spring hours dragging early twilight on as long as it could, as she listened to him. She didn't even seem scared when he went over it. Was he just paranoid when he thought people would be scared of him because of his semblance?

"Okay. So, were you being possessed or something?" Ruby asked, a fixed smirk on her face.

Azura sighed. "No, Ruby, I was not being possessed."

She laughed. "I was kidding!"

Azura coughed, embarrassed. "Right."

Their laughter ended a few seconds later. "Is your semblance always so hurtful to yourself? Is that why you won't use it?"

Azura looked off into the horizon. "No. It's just...I don't want people to see it. I mean, if the manifestation of my soul is death, what would that make them think?"

"If the manifestation of your soul is death, then my ability to run really fast would make the manifestation of my soul to be a coward." Ruby replied.

"But you aren't a coward."

Ruby smiled. "Thank you. And I think your semblance is a wonderful thing. Not even talking about combat capabilities, I think it is wonderful. Think about all the people you could help to have another conversation with their dead relative."

He hadn't thought of that. "Yeah. You might have a point."

"Azura?" Ruby asked, so softly that he was surprised.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Never mind. Don't worry about it. I've already asked you so much recently." Ruby said, shaking her head.

"I don't mind."

"No, I couldn't. It's rather personal…" Ruby said, trailing off.

Azura knew when to not push. "Okay. Well, how about this. You tell me when you're ready. I might know what you want though."

Summer was on the end of the bench, looking at Ruby. Azura promised to himself that he would let Summer talk to Ruby, when Ruby was ready to tell him that he wanted to talk to her dead mother. Call him cocky, but it wasn't hard to know what her request was.

"Huh?" Ruby said, shocked.

Azura laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it. Just tell me when you're ready." He stood up with a stretch. "Thanks for the talk, Ruby."

She followed suit, standing up. "Right. No problem!"

Azura laughed again. "Alright, that's enough emotional talk for a week. You ready to start 'Operation: Save Jaune' tomorrow?"

Ruby saluted him. "Of course I am! I was born ready!"

"My little hero." Azura said, lightly punching her shoulder.

Ruby was quick with a retort. "Of course I am! I'm a huntress!"

"In training." Azura reminded.

"Semantics!" Ruby said, sticking her tongue out.

"Right." Azura said with a smile. "Let's go."

"To where?"

"The mess hall, Ruby. Where else? I'm starving."

Ruby laughed. "You're silly, Azura. Come on, it's still early enough. In fact, everyone else might still be there."

As they walked in silence, Azura knew that his mood had improved drastically. Ruby was special. A very special person. Not because of the silver eyes or whatever they meant for a person, but because of her heart. It was hard to describe, and Azura made a mental note to try and explain it in the future. If she could put some trust in him, telling him about her struggles with social interactions, then he can put some trust in her.

**.**

**.(Chapter end)**

**.**

**Yeah, I know, a lot of talking. However, I would say that the conversations between characters and their interactions are the most important part of RWBY. There have been themes about family and friendship since the first volume, and I wish to keep that theme in this story.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	7. Semblances

**Another chapter finished and ready to go. I promise that I don't mean to write 9k+ words for each chapter, but I'm sure that it isn't a huge issue to you all. I know that people like long chapters, but sometimes you just don't have the time, which I can understand.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Have a nice day/night!**

**Chapter 7: Semblances**

**May 23rd**

**Thursday**

**Clear**

It was early in the morning, with Azura being woken up by Luna. As he woke up, he remembered why she was doing so, realizing that the assumption of Jaune's tiredness was correct, for the boy was currently sneaking about.

Azura laid still as Jaune moved around, quickly leaving the room after a minute or so. Once he was gone, Azura moved out of the covers, checking to see if anyone was awake. The most movement being made was Luna as she grabbed clothing for him. He had to wonder if the line between material items and personal items were drawing closer.

Quickly getting changed, Azura left the room, and waited for Ruby to come out as well. It seemed that Summer was still tailing Jaune, so he could wait. Ruby came out of her room in her Beacon uniform, her cloak trailing behind her. She looked sleepy, clearly unused to waking up early, and quietly leaned against the wall next to him.

"Mmmm...give me five minutes. How in remnant do you do this daily?" Ruby asked, giving him an adorable yawn.

"You get used to it. And you have time, we're waiting for someone to come back. She'll know where Jaune is."

Ruby didn't even question it, sliding on the wall until she was leaning on him. "Sounds good...I'll try to not fall asleep."

Luckily, they did not need to wait long before Summer returned to them. Azura nudged Ruby, and she looked around, confused when nothing happened. Then her eyes widened in realization.

"Are you talking to a ghost?" She asked, sounding rather excited.

"Yes." He said, before facing Summer. "I assume you know what he's up to?"

The older woman nodded. "Yes, follow me. He entered the library about two minutes ago, so he should still be there."

"Good. Let's get going."

He pushed off of the wall, and Ruby stumbled to catch up with him. Despite her earlier tiredness, she was already talking, asking Azura a few questions.

"So, what's it like interacting with a ghost?" She started off with.

"Pretty normal, most of the time. It depends on how they died. And sometimes, the way they die doesn't change anything." Azura responded.

Ruby looked slightly surprised at the blunt answer. "Oh. Well, your semblance is activated, but it also has a passive state. Have you ever thought about what would happen if you fainted?"

Azura couldn't think of a time where he did. "No, I can't say I did. It requires a level of focus to stay active, but I have done this for a few years now, so I can passively keep them visible if I wanted to. If I were to lose my senses from a heavy blow or something though, I can't keep them visible, but they could still move me if they thought to. As for fainting...I don't know. If I were to guess based off of other semblances that have a on and off 'switch', I would assume that they wouldn't be able to interact with me at all."

"I guess your semblance isn't all-powerful if that is the case." Ruby said, looking thoughtful.

What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, I do think it is powerful, if used correctly. I mean, from what you told me, you should be able to do a lot of things, even with the downside of needing a level of focus. You have beings that cannot die, that can fight for you." Ruby said, waving her arms as she continued. "There are so many applications that your semblance would be capable of! I even know a way that I would be able to help you to better your use of your semblance!"

Azura raised an eyebrow. "Not that I don't believe you, but what could you do that would help me with my semblance?"

"Your gun, silly." Ruby said, like it was super obvious.

Azura blinked, expecting her to further elaborate. "You going to continue?"

Ruby smiled sheepishly. "Right. If I were to get the custom parts, I could probably use the weapon shop connected to the Beacon garage to build you a custom mecha-shift weapon. If you want to stay with the pistol, it would probably be a long dagger. You could have a dust use for both forms and everything! For ammo slots, I mean."

Azura was happy that she would consider doing that for him. "Thanks, Ruby. But, you still haven't explained how a new weapon would help to increase the uses of my semblances."

It was like the inner workings of her mind jammed. "Oh...well, that makes sense." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, you don't have a huge need to have a ranged weapon when you have ghosts who can be in another position."

Azura thought about it. "You do have a point. My semblance doesn't reach that far, nor can I choose who I make visible, though. I could probably work towards being able to changing that."

Ruby nodded her head, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Well, what do you think?"

"Fine. But I don't want to leave you to do it yourself. You want to have an apprentice while you work?"

Ruby looked like she just found a jackpot of cookies. "Yes! That sounds like so much fun!"

Azura could see that the library was growing closer. "Good. And it's time to start operations."

Ruby grew serious. "Right."

They stopped, hiding near the entrance. "Okay. Ruby, you remember the plan we made over dinner?"

She nodded. "I'll stay on the first floor, staying near the corners by the entrance, in case you miss him. While I do that, you'll be looking around the place, staying hidden while you search for Jaune."

Azura nodded. "Exactly like that. You're small, so you're be able to stay unseen, and I have the advantage of people."

They moved into the building, where they split up, with Ruby picking her little spot near the front doors. Azura moved along the walls, thankful that he was able to sneak without looking odd pretty well.

"Luna, I need you to stay on the first floor and keep an eye on everything in the center. Stay floating to see easier."

It was redundant to say that, seeing that she was always floating, but she listened to his command easily. He turned to Summer. "Lead me to Jaune. Stay ahead of me, and warn me if you see Jaune or team CRDL."

"Stil weird to take orders from someone so young." She said with a smile, moving to stay ahead.

Azura rolled his eyes, staying along the walls as he moved to the stairs. Summer moved up the stairs, walking at a pace just awkwardly slow enough to compensate for the sneaking Azura. It seemed Jaune was on the second floor, and as Azura found out a minute later, Summer stayed true to her keen eye, knowing where he was. Team CRDL was also there, and Azura had to admit to getting tired of seeing their faces. They were fooling around, and just being dumb, looking like they were well-rested, despite the early hours. Jaune, on the other hand, was looking tired, and his eyes were dull, but he was still hard at work, writing at a semi-sluggish pace. Perhaps this was the extra work that Jaune was assigned to do by Doctor Oobleck?

So, why did it look like he had enough paper for two? A thought went towards the possibility that Jaune had to do the same work, but for Cardin as well. He couldn't hear what was being said, but luckily for him, Summer was right next to them, so he would have to ask what was being said. It looked like Jaune flinched back, then looked ready to argue something, only to deflate and nod his head numbly.

What was he being told to do? And why didn't he fight back? Azura couldn't wrap his head around it. Was he being blackmailed or something?

A few more minutes later, Summer came back to him with a frown on her face. "Let's go. We can talk elsewhere."

He nodded his head, making his way back to the first floor. He first signaled to Luna with a small wave, moving freely across the library now, then to Ruby that they were leaving. They moved quickly away from the library, talking on their way back to the dorms.

Before Ruby could ask any questions, Azura asked his question to Summer. "What did you learn? I wasn't close enough to hear them."

"Well, I am sure you are well aware of the trip to Forever Fall forest. They are making Jaune do something there, during the trip. I'm not quite sure what it will be, but at least we have a date for when Jaune might take things one step further than he would like." She said.

Azura frowned slightly before turning his head to Ruby. "Well, it seems that we are going to have to hold off until the school trip to Forever Fall. Something is going to happen with Jaune, and we'll be forced to wait until then."

Ruby tilted her head. "Alright, so we have a plan. That works for me. But, if I can, I want to talk to Jaune. Maybe I can help him make his own decision."

A shadow of doubt crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

Azura smiled. "You're very kind, Ruby. I think you should try it. But, remember that the trip happens in four days, after this weekend."

Ruby nodded. "Of course. Perhaps we can talk about what kind of weapon you want me to make? We might be able to get the parts from Vale this weekend!"

"Sounds good to me."

The morning went off without a hitch. Ruby went back to her dorm room, with Summer going after her. She gave him a quick thumbs up, showing that she was in the clear, before shutting the door. Azura did the same, moving to the bathroom to freshen up. He didn't feel like running this morning anyway.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The next time Jaune and Azura was seen with the group was during breakfast. Nobody commented on his tired eyes and overall ragged face, and Pyrrha was not seen next to him, as usual. Now, Yang sat next to him, shooting him a concerned glance before returning back to food. The tension at the table was palpable, as if everyone was waiting for someone else to speak first.

Azura decided to start it off. "So, how has everyone's morning been?" It was a cliche question, but he had to break the ice somehow.

Ruby came to his rescue when no one else spoke up, giving him a slight nudge from her seat next to him. "It's been fine. Just the usual stuff."

Weiss answered, most likely out of courtesy. "As Ruby said, it has been fine."

Pyra was the last to answer. "Hungry."

Clearly, Jaune vanishing from the group recently has shaken the dynamic up more than it seemed. Team JNPR didn't even answer, and some of team RWBY was ignoring it. The rest of breakfast was a quiet affair.

The classes afterwards was able to make them look like a more organized group, despite Jaune being around team CRDL. Azura was itching to say something about their silence, but found that he didn't, while Ruby couldn't even pay attention. The young girl was slapping her pen against her unused hand, and Weiss had to grab her wrist before Ruby stopped for a while, before returning to her nervous habit.

Cardin and Jaune were once again held after class by Oobleck, and Azura sighed as he watched Pyrrha walk away, annoyance radiating off of her.

Azura was walking with Ren, Nora, and Pyra when Ren spoke up. "Do you think Pyrrha has the right to be angry? While I am unsure of what happened between them, it feels...unjustified."

Nora responded, much less energetic than usual. "I just want our team back together."

Azura had to agree with the two of them. Pyrrha was unjustified in her anger, just as Jaune was to not fight back. Was everyone else just at fault, for not speaking out?

That thought consumed Azura as he sat in the library throughout the afternoon, waiting for combat class to start.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

There was an awkward divide between team JNPR and team RWBY when Azura walked up the stairs where everyone waited for combat class. Seeing Pyra between them was what made him choose to do the same.

Azura sat down and leaned towards her. "Well, this is awkward."

Pyra rolled her eyes, replying quietly. "You can say that again. It's not like Jaune was the only link between them."

Azura hummed his agreement. "You can say that again. Ruby doesn't look that happy about it."

"Neither do Ren and Nora." Was her response.

"Well, no one is doing anything about it." He said.

"Not like we have done anything to stop it." Pyra retorted.

Azura nodded, and said nothing more. He wasn't sure why he was keeping what he and Ruby were trying to do secret. Was it because they were unable to do much of anything?

Azura quickly decided that he hated doing nothing. He'll try and talk to Jaune if he could.

As the matches started for the day, Azura was hoping to get either a good opponent, or someone to take his frustrations out on. He got his wish once Goodwitch called his name, with his opponent being Cardin Winchester himself.

He must have been wearing a cocky smirk, for Pyra quickly spoke up. "Don't go walking around like that. Cardin might pull something on you."

Azura laughed. "I'm aware. Rule number one: never underestimate your opponent."

As he walked down the steps, he thought of what he knew of Cardin as a fighter. He used a mace, and had the strength to swing it around with one hand. He was feisty, and had admirable speed for a slow fighter, but Azura was confident in being faster. Beyond that, Cardin had the tendency to keep fighting, no matter what.

So, he had strength and size to his advantage. Azura had the speed and agility to counter it. His fighting style was meant for lithe and flexible fighters, so he still held the advantage. As they walked onto the arena, Cardin shot him a sneer.

Azura smirked. "A sneer can't even fit your ugly mug."

An insult to start off a fight, that was new for him.

"I didn't realize the pretty boy had such a sharp tongue." Cardin replied.

"Enough of the talk, you two." Goodwitch said. "You are to fight, not play a children's game."

Azura drew his pistol in his left hand, and Luna transformed the blade from its metal band form, with Azura grabbing it as it dropped. Cardin raised an eyebrow before hefting his mace up, resting it on his shoulder.

"Begin!"

Azura stood still as Cardin rushed him, simply leaping to the side as Cardin swung his weapon. He needed to see how Cardin attacked before anything. After a minute, Azura was sure that he figured Cardin out, minus the possibility of a semblance.

"What's wrong?" Cardin called. "You scared to take a swing?"

His silence seemed to irk Cardin as he went back into his normal string of attacks. Charge, swing, turn, swing, chase, slam. It changed here and there, but just barely. As he finished with a slam, Azura took the chance to shoot several ice dust bullets into the mace, freezing it to the ground.

As Cardin tried to break it free, Azura took the chance to shoot the rest of the magazine into the mace users' foot, and kick at it, making him go down on one knee. Azura slashed at the bigger boy in the chest, not worrying about the armor, thanks to the way aura worked. He leaned back as Cardin swung an arm out to stop him, and gave a final slash before hopping away backwards.

He reloaded his other ice dust magazine, seeing that it might have been his best solution to stop Cardin safely. A quick glance showed Cardin at 70% aura, while he was still at 100% aura.

By now, Cardin had broken the ice, and was taking a more serious approach this time. He moved slowly, almost analyzing Azura while the white haired boy was standing still again.

Azura sighed in a mocking manner. "Come on, Cardin. Surely you have something up your sleeve?"

Cardin growled, and his mace suddenly glowed a deep red. Just like most weapons, Cardin had a secondary function on his weapon, this one seeming to infuse fire dust into the head of the mace.

"There you go." Azura said.

Cardin charged as he yelled out. "Let's dance, pretty boy!"

And so they danced, as Azura dodged around Cardin, the big boy seeming to get angrier as Azura got a few pokes in. Towards the end, Azura slipped up, with the mace making contact to his chest, and was sent flying.

Azura coughed as he grabbed his weapons and stood back up, and another look at the aura board showed Azura at 75% aura from one hit, while Cardin sat at 62%. The heat of the weapon would have left a burn mark if aura didn't exist. However, it seemed that Cardin had run out of dust, his weapon returning to its dull look once more.

"You sure do know how to pack a punch." Azura commented.

"Almost as much as how well you know to run away." Cardin retorted.

Azura shrugged. "I was a dancer in a past life. It must have stuck around."

Soon, they were back in the loop that started the fight, with Cardin chasing and swinging, while Azura kept dodging to the side. Honestly, did he expect for it to work the second time around?

However, when Cardin was about to slam his mace down, he kicked out towards Azura, making contact with his leg that was stepping back, and Azura fell to the ground on his back. Cardin slammed his mace down, making contact with his aura, which had pooled above his stomach to soften the blow.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Cardin jeered, pressing a massive foot down on Azura's chest after kicking his pistol away.

When Azura did not respond, he continued. "Such a shame. I was hoping to crush you, and maybe get that redhead to realize how much better I am for her than her. Ruby, was it?" Cardin breathed out as he leaned down, and whispered. "How fun is she? I bet she got into Beacon from doing some...favors. You know what I mean."

How dare he even say that. She was far worthier than him. He didn't even care if he was only saying it to anger him. If it was anger he wanted, it was anger he would get.

That was when Azura responded. "I dare you to make one more comment about Ruby. In fact, I dare you to make any degrading comment about my friends in front of me. If you do, I'll kick your ass." He gave a devilish smirk. Oh, and I would look up."

As Cardin did so, he saw nothing. Then, all of a sudden, he saw the ghostly shape of a white haired fox Faunus fall towards him, and was forced to get off of Azura.

As Azura stood and grabbed his sword, he saw Luna return with his pistol. He took it, and sheathed it once more. A look showed him all that he wanted to. Beyond his aura being at 50% percent, while Cardin stayed at 62%, he saw the shocked faces of the sitting students. Team JNPR was in shock, and even Jaune was paying attention. They all looked stunned, but Pyrrha seemed to realize what those semblance training sessions really were, while Pyra seemed to be smiling. She had good reason to do so, since she has seen Luna already.

Team RWBY was in a similar state, with Blake and Weiss seeming to have a brain malfunction. Ruby looked starstruck at the reveal, and Summer seemed rather satisfied with what Azura just did. Yang cupped her hands and brought them to her mouth.

"Go get him, Snow!" She yelled down towards the arena.

Even professor Goodwitch looked impressed, though he could barely see it.

Returning his eyes to Cardin, the armored teen was looking around wildly, looking for Luna. The problem was that she was invisible once more, returned to her passive state. Azura found that he was still angry at Cardin for his statements, so he rushed towards him, leaping towards him with a technique he learned from his adoptive family, Aether. It had a name, but it was just fusing some aura with the blade, and slamming it down with the built momentum.

Cardin turned around and raised his mace to block.

"Now!" Azura called.

Luna came back into reality, slamming the replica family blade that Azura held, one that she summoned, into Cardin's backside, making him stumble forward. Azura brought the blade down, cracking it down on Cardin's back, which brought the goliath of a teenager down to the ground.

Azura brought the blade down to Cardin's head, and Luna kept hers in hand as she hovered just barely above Cardin. "Surrender, Cardin. You've lost."

A glance to the aura bar showed that the surprise aether brought Azura down to 40%, but took Cardin to 30%. It seemed that Cardin's aura was actually smaller than Azura's.

The large boy tried to get up, only for Luna to place her foot down on his head, pushing it down. He never surrendered, and Goodwitch had to call the match in Azura's favor to end it.

As she looked around to quiet the students in the audience, Azura removed his blade and crouched down, "Never talk about Ruby like that again. You mess with my friends, I'll embarrass you even worse than just now."

He stepped away, Luna back to not being visible, and hoped that his words reached him. If not, then maybe this would give Jaune the courage to stand up. Cardin stood up, silent and trying to not look angry. Goodwitch had finally quieted the students, despite some whispers still making their way around.

"Mister Winchester, I do not know what it is that you said which provoked mister Heart, but I suggest that you do not do it again. The only lesson I have for you is a very simple one." She narrowed her eyes. "Never underestimate an opponent."

Her eyes shot over to Azura. "As for you, mister Heart, I must say that you should be more cautious to keep your emotions in check. Had you fully given in to anger, you surely would have lost." She gave a small smile. "However, I am rather glad that you decided to truly show off your semblance. I hope you will keep it that way, so that you can reach your full potential. You are both dismissed."

Cardin was quick to move, keeping eerily quiet as he went up the stairs and sat down next to his team. Azura followed after him, noticing that team RWBY and JNPR were interacting again, even if it was only because of his match. Despite Jaune looking awkward as he stood on the outside, Azura was glad to see the blonde goof hanging out with his team.

He was met with their words as he sat down, though it seemed that professor Goodwitch was busy organizing the next match.

"That was rather impressive. I had no idea such a semblance existed. How does it function?" Weiss asked.

He never got to answer as Pyrrha spoke next. "What a fantastic show of skill you showed, Azura! And to think that your semblance wasn't what I thought it was…"

He chuckled. "What can I say? I'm good at hiding."

He was given compliments on his fighting, or the reveal of two abilities from him, from everyone else. That was when Yang spoke.

"So, Snow. That was certainly a fight. But, I could have sworn you said something to Cardin about 'not saying another thing about Ruby'. What did he say?" Her eyes flashed red. "Do I have to beat someone up?"

Azura had to admit to still feeling rather angry about it, but he stuffed it down for now, presenting her with a smile. "It was nothing to worry about. You know, schoolyard insults. Nothing special."

Yang breathed out. "Good. That's good. Well, I'm glad to know that you were that fed up with it. You're a good friend, Azura."

"Thanks, Azura! You put up quite the awesome fight. I can't wait to improve your gear, it will be so much fun!" Ruby said, a wide smile on her face.

"Of course. It will be an enlightening experience for me, as well." Azura replied.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Over dinner, he was forced to give the details of his semblance once more. He told them what he considered to be safe, such as what his semblance it, how it works, and details regarding what those ghosts and spirits could do. They were particularly interested in the identity of the ghost who fought with him, and if he knew any more.

"Well," He started. "I have worked with other spirits before, in the past. Beyond that, I have only worked with one other ghost. In fact, they are both here right now."

Ruby was quite excited, even if she already knew this info. "Do either of the ghosts do anything beyond following you and stuff?"

Azura paused for a brief moment. "Well, yes. One of them follows me around most of the time, and likes to fool around and stuff. The other has taken to following some of you, to probably sate her boredom."

He looked over at Summer, who shot him a glare. He shrugged, it was the best he could do without lying.

Pyrrha spoke next. "So, what is the identity of the ghost woman who fought with you?"

Azura nearly dropped his fork. That info was rather personal. To this day, he was unsure of why he revealed Luna to Pyra when they first met. "Oh, it's no one important. Nothing to worry yourself over."

Pyrrha frowned. "Are you sure? I didn't get a good look at her face, but it seemed like you knew each other rather well."

Looking for an escape, he was rather pleased when his scroll went off. He was less pleased to see that it was Ozpin. He didn't want to be near the man at the moment, but he would take the escape for what it was.

"Sorry guys, but it looks like Ozpin wishes to see me. I have to go."

Pyra looked confused. "Just you?"

When Azura nodded, Summer moved over to his side. "Yes. It's probably something small. Perhaps he wants to talk about the first use of my semblance, since I held it close to my chest. It was my ace in the sleeve, so it happens."

Everyone seemed satisfied with his reason, and left him to walk on his own to the tower. After a few minutes, when they were outside, Summer spoke to him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

Azura shrugged. "I don't have much of a choice. You don't just deny the headmaster of the academy."

Summer sighed. "I suppose not. I'm not sure what happened when he touched you the last time, but I don't want it to happen again."

"I was just caught off guard." He replied.

Azura wouldn't admit that he had no idea if being on guard would even stop what had happened last time.

Once Azura made it to the tower, he was once again given quick access to the elevator. At the top, he found Ozpin sitting at his desk, looking a little tired, despite the mug of coffee that was next to him.

"Take a seat, mister Heart." Ozpin said, waving an arm to a chair.

"What's this all about, sir?" Azura asked as he sat down.

Ozpin laughed. "Do not worry, this is a simple talk about your semblance. And before you ask, no, I have not yet found anything regarding the Grimm you seek. I believe it has gone into hiding somewhere."

Azura nodded. "Right. What else did you want to talk about?"

"I wished to ask you if you wanted to have a specified training method for you to train your semblance." Ozpin said, leaning forward. "Specifically, it does not seem that you wish to have Summer be seen by the public eye. And I assume, young Ruby as well."

"So, you wanted to offer a private manner to train with my semblance? Why would I need Summer to do that?"

Ozpin sipped at his coffee. "Well, it would be fantastic for your semblance. What if you were to be able to expand the radius of which you could make a ghost visible? Or, maybe make one ghost visible instead of both? Perhaps even the ability to get rid of the of radius, and specifically have a ghost be visible anywhere?"

Azura frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"What I mean is that you would need more than one ghost to practice that." Ozpin explained.

Azura knew that it made sense, so he glanced over to Summer. When the woman nodded, giving him permission, he decided to go with it. "Okay, it makes sense. When and where would I be doing this?"

"The when would be whenever you decided to do it. As for the where...well, we do have a open clearing in the Emerald forest, and it is right next to the trail that leads back to Beacon."

Azura blinked. "So, we never had to get launched in the first place?"

Ozpin chose to ignore it. "Well, I do believe that settles it. I will make sure that every faculty member know that you are allowed to be in the forest. You are dismissed."

No one spoke until they were outside. "I just can't believe that he launched a bunch of students into the Emerald forest for no reason."

Summer sighed. "Well, some things never change. So, when shall we do that special training?"

"Well, since I don't do the workouts on the weekend, we can put an hour or two for Saturday, and do the same for Sunday, assuming I have no other plans. I know this weekend that me and Ruby have to go to Vale, since she seems determined to upgrade my pistol."

Summer laughed. "Looks like she has my spirit for weapon making. Just be sure you make it up to her somehow."

Azura waved her off. "Of course I will."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**May 25th**

**Saturday**

**Clear**

Azura barely had time to eat before Ruby was dragging him away towards the early, as in ten in the morning, airship to Vale, with everyone except Yang, Pyra, and Weiss looking surprised.

Azura knew that she was excited for this, but even he was shocked at how excited she was. He supposed she really did love to work on weapons. Other than two of them, Luna and Summer was going with them, not that it shocked Azura. He also noticed that Ruby was once again in her casual clothing, the red jacket playing off of the dark pants and her short hair.

"You know, it'll be warm enough to ditch the pants soon." Azura commented as they sat down, the airship starting to move soon after.

"It's not like you will be changing anything either." She said, sticking her tongue out. "Plus, my combat dress has leggings."

Azura laughed. "You got me there. So, what are you planning to do with me today?"

Ruby seemed to shake with excitement as she answered. "I'm glad that you ask! So, first of all, there's this shop that has the parts that I need, but I also need to know your dust types, and see what I can do or if I need a different part."

Azura shook his head. "I didn't really think to bring my pistol, but I use lightning, ice, and fire dust, though I mostly use lightning and ice dust the most. Is there anything else you might need to know?"

"Nope. That should be all I need, but you never know. You'll be sticking around for the process anyway." Ruby said with a wave of her hand.

"That is what I agreed to do." He agreed.

"Hey, have you thought of if you wanted a second form on your blade? Or an easier shifting form?" Ruby asked.

"No, I haven't thought of that. It's a family blade, so I never thought of it." Azura said.

"Oh...well, you know, you don't have to do that. I wouldn't want to impose on tradition. I think classic weapons have their own charm! Just forge-" Ruby stopped when Azura lightly chopped her on the head.

"You worry too much, Ruby." Azura said.

He looked over to Luna, and she just shrugged, seeming to tell him that it was his choice.

He turned back to Ruby, who was waiting for an answer. "It's technically my blade now, so I don't think she would mind. What did you have in mind?"

"I mean, if it's not an issue…" Ruby trailed off, still looking nervous.

Azura smiled. "No, it's not an issue. Please, continue."

Her mood brightened. "Then, you know how I am making your new dagger have the other shift form of a pistol?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "Well I have been thinking about it, and I should be able to do it in a fashion that allows you to have two firing modes, and they would be a lightning dust mode and a ice dust mode. It would have two slots for magazines, so you might need to practice reloading a bit." She brought a hand to her chin. "That would force you to give up fire dust, is that okay?"

"I would find it agreeable." Azura said.

She continued after she had his word. "Then it should be fine. The most that would have to be done is to have a mechanism that could shift between the two, which is easy for me."

"And the family blade?" Azura asked.

"You keep calling it 'family blade'. Have you not named your weapon?" Ruby asked.

"No. Is that a problem?"

The young girl looked offended. "How can you do such a thing?! You put shame on my baby Crescent Rose! That's it, we are naming your weapons when I am done with them."

Azura felt that he should just let it happen. "Is it normal to name your weapons as a hunter-in-training?"

"Of course it is!" Ruby said with a pout.

"Alright. We'll name the weapons, I promise."

Ruby nodded, satisfied. "Good." Then she seemed to remember what they were talking about. "Oh, I know what we can do about your family blade. I know you probably like the arm band, but it's not that efficient of a method for the weapon. Well, not in this day and age, that is. I was thinking that I could make it have a easier form to grab onto and transform it into a blade, similar to how Crescent Rose comes out. It should be easy enough to re-route the small chunks to make it work."

"How did you even know about that?" Azura asked, taken aback by the info she knew.

"Easy. I love weapons." Was her reply.

"I see. Did you talk to Jaune yet?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I don't know if he took my words to heart or not."

Azura was confident that Jaune would listen. He might not know the blonde that well, but he knew he was a good guy.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

About a half hour later, Ruby found the shop that they were looking for, simply called 'Blacksmith'. It was a place that was just outside the shopping area that Ruby showed a week or so ago, hidden in the shadow of another building.

Despite the odd location, it was a rather clean looking place, and a bear Faunus stood at the counter, a kind smile on his face.

"What can I help ya with? You kids look like you're from Beacon, so you must be here for parts."

Ruby, who usually seemed to shy away from attention, looked comfortable here. "I'm actually here to pick some parts up. Uh, it's under the name 'Rose'.

The man nodded. "I remember ya. Lemme go to the back and find what you need ."

"I have some extra parts that I need, if you don't mind." Ruby said.

"Go right ahead. I'll be a few minutes." The Faunus said, before fully disappearing.

Azura stood by the counter as he watched Ruby go off. He would follow her, but he didn't know much about weapon building. Weapon maintenance was one thing, but actually knowing the parts was another. He was confident that he would be talking to Ruby about the dagger before it gets made to make sure.

"These parts for you, kid?"

Azura turned to see the store owner had returned with a sealed box. "Oh, yeah. My friend seemed excited to do it, and I couldn't say no. It shouldn't take more than a day or so to learn the new parts anyway."

A gruff laugh escaped the owner. "Well, aren't you a nice fellow."

Ruby came back a few moments later, placing the extra parts down. When the total price was determined, Azura was shocked to see four hundred or so lien. Weapon parts were expensive, but Ruby did get a bulk. It made him feel bad.

"Well, you don't need to show ya student IDs, I know you two youngsters are from Beacon. Student discount is fifteen percent." The owner remarked.

"The least I can do is pay for this." He said, pulling out the card he had been using for any needed purchases.

It was too late for Ruby to protest, as Azura had already handed it over, allowing the owner to authorize the purchase. However, her silence lasted just long enough for them to be settled with another box for the parts, both of which Azura carried, and out of the store.

"Why did you pay for that stuff?! I had enough lien for it…" Ruby complained.

"Just trying to repay the favor." Azura said, then he snickered.

"Don't think a pun will save you from this!" She continued.

"Ruby, come on. You're doing me a huge favor, even if I never asked for it. I want to pay you back for it, and paying for the parts is just the beginning. I'll be sure to think of something to really show my appreciation."

Ruby sulked. "You make me feel bad when you put it that way."

"Sorry."

Ruby blushed. "Whatever, just stop talking. Why must social interactions suck?"

Azura didn't reply, and simply shrugged.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

It was noon when they got back. After Azura made Ruby eat lunch before they got started, they made their way to the garage entrance. Azura found that the Beacon garage was spacious, but rather grab. I mean, he understood why the walls were made of concrete, with its durability and gray color, but it was colorless without all the machines and vehicles around. He was a bit shocked to see how many students were coming in and out though.

"Over here!" Ruby called from a few feet away.

He walked over to her, and followed her into a seperate room, where she closed the door behind him once he was inside. "We have the room to ourselves for the weekend, so get settled. We're gonna be here for a while. I got a key for it and everything."

And that was the last of the talk they had before they got working. Ruby did most of it, being the mastermind of the project, but Azura helped where he could. His help mostly ranged from grabbing one gadget or another for her to use as she sat at the main desk, or holding on to a piece to keep it still, sometimes doing the adjustments himself. She said that she would handle most of the work, but Azura still had enough to do to keep focused.

They worked to get everything together, and it seemed that they managed to get a lot of work done for the day, with Azura announcing that it was eight in the evening.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting experience." He commented.

"Right? It's loads of fun to do that. I am surprised you didn't have your companions do the work for you though. It would be easy." Ruby replied.

Azura shrugged. "I prefer to do the work for myself. It builds character."

"It would be rather dull. I would die again if that was the only escape from such a fate." Summer said sarcastically.

Azura laughed, prompting Ruby to be confused. "Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry." He said with a smile. "One of them cracked a joke, and I am rather unused to a ghost making snide comments."

Ruby rolled her eyes, and moved to clean up. They then locked the room up after they finished cleaning up and organized the materials they used.

"Let's go get food. Not sure about you, but this made me feel starved." Ruby groaned.

"Sounds good. We can get going at this again tomorrow. Will we finish by then?" Azura said.

"We'll be able to do it. The dagger is getting there, since it can smoothly shift between forms, but the magazines are causing me a lot of trouble, so I would say that we are halfway there. As for your family blade, it'll be easy. I just have to take the extra metal I bought, take the mechanism of your weapon apart, then basically combine them both to fit what you want as the new form. That's not that special or hard to do. We'll probably do that first tomorrow."

"I'll trust your judgement on that. Let's get going then, I am quite hungry as well." Azura said.

.

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**May 26th**

**Sunday**

**Clear**

The next morning, after the morning run he did, Azura found himself wandering down the trail that would lead to the Emerald forest at seven in the morning. Luna and Summer followed behind him as they walked, trying to figure out what they would do.

"I'm unsure of where we should start, to be honest. Maybe we should work on range for now?" Azura said.

Summer seemed to think otherwise. "I do not believe that do much. You said that the radius has never increased since you started working on it?"

"That's right. It can just about cover the entire arena that is used during combat class, reaching about thirty feet high.." He replied.

"Well, it seems that the range isn't what we should focus on here. Have you thought of specifically making one target visible?"

"Not until recently. I never had a reason to." Azura said, shrugging.

They made it to the small clearing that Ozpin was talking about when Summer replied. "Then let's do that."

It took a minute, but they quickly set up. Azura sat in the center, with Summer in front of him to the right, while Luna sat to her right.

"Okay. Now, just focus and try to sense us for now, and we can see where to go from there." Summer said.

Azura took her words to heart, and they spent the next few hours simply sitting there as Azura tried to find something. Soul searching proved to be much more difficult than he thought, and the most progress that was made was a semi-visible form for Luna, while Summer was still in the passive state.

That ended quickly once a voice spoke. "I'm glad that you were so quick to take advantage of this place, mister Heart. It seems that you are quite determined to work you semblance now, which is good."

Startled, Azura quickly lost the focus he had. Looking over, he saw Ozpin standing there, this time without coffee. "What are you doing here, headmaster?"

"Please, Ozpin works. And I am here to see if you had managed to make any progress." He replied.

"Not much. I can have one of them be semi-visible while the other remains in a passive state. We haven't tried moving yet." Azura said, shaking his head.

Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground. "Perhaps you should read a book about it."

"A book?"

The man smiled. "Yes. Come to me after your trip tomorrow and I can give it to you."

Azura beamed. "Thank you! I'll be sure to do that."

"It is no problem, mister Heart. I shall see you soon. Oh, and miss Rose seemed to be looking for you when I saw her. Something about lunch and weapons. I would go find her." Ozpin said, before he turned around and started walking back up the trail.

Azura made to follow, but was stopped by Summer grabbing him by the wrist.

"Summer?" He asked.

Her grip tightened. "Don't trust him."

His wrist was starting to hurt. "Why?"

"You can put faith in him, let him help you...but do not let him give you special treatment." Summer said, her silver eyes sharp.

Azura could see Luna getting ready to step in, but he stopped her by raising his free arm towards her. He then moved the arm over to Summer, where he placed it on the arm holding him.

"Summer. I won't do that. He's trying to help, but I haven't been given favorable treatment."

She frowned, like he had said the wrong thing, then shook her head. "Now isn't the time." She whispered, before looking back at him. "Just trust me on this. Stick to your friends, and stay that way."

Azura wasn't sure why she wouldn't trust Ozpin, but he nodded to show he understood. She let go of his wrist and moved to start walking back, her shoulders stiff.

His wrist hurt, and he saw that it left a mark. It would fade soon, it seemed, but Luna grabbed his hand and inspected it anyway. She looked at him, and her yellow eyes showed concern.

"Go after her. She needs someone to talk to more than I do." He said, giving her a smile.

He had no idea why Summer seemed to not trust Ozpin. But, if he has learned anything over the years, it would be that a ghost was less likely to endanger him. Summer knew something, but wouldn't tell him for some reason, and so he was left to think as he walked back up the trail.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

He had made it back when he realized that he missed lunch, his scroll telling him that it was three in the afternoon. He groaned, but continued onward. He was used to days with less food than usual anyway.

Luna joined back up with him a few seconds later. Luna had her usual smile on her, warmth filling the yellow eyes, but Summer was missing. Azura shook his head, unsure of what would help her. Perhaps some time alone would help her clear her mind.

"There you are!" A voice said.

Azura looked around for a moment, before spotting Pyra and Yang walking towards him. He moved to meet them in the middle.

"Where have you been? You missed lunch and the afternoon portion of the workout." Pyra said, a frown on her face.

Yang was much more calm about it. "What's going on with you? Ruby was all over the place, trying to find you." Her eyes narrowed. "You aren't avoiding her, are you?"

It felt like she meant several different things from that question. "Of course not, I was just busy. Where is she now?"

"The garage. Said that she would be working without you for now." Pyra said.

He gave a quick thanks before jogging off towards the garage area. After finding the room they used the last time, he opened the door to find Ruby working at the bench, headphones on her head. Seeing that she wasn't paying attention, he snuck up behind her and grabbed the headphones, letting them fall on her neck.

She made a noise of surprise, before turning around. "Azura! Don't do that."

He laughed as she pouted. "Yeah, yeah. So, what have I missed?"

"Mostly me finishing your sword. I was itching to get working on it, but I couldn't find you. I missed lunch because of it!"

Azura shrugged. "Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I missed lunch as well. But, what did you do?"

She lifted the blade with ease, showing off the new look. It was the same white metal for the blade, but the rim was lined with a red colored metal, and the hilt looked more mechanized, the yellow ribbon was also laced with thin metal rods below it. When Ruby pressed a button on the bottom of the hilt, the entire sword transformed into the links that once made the blade, and the hilt shifted to cover over the top of it. When all was said and done, it looked like a rod, just a bit larger than normal and long enough to cover his waist. There was a strap, made with the same yellow ribbon, hanging from it.

"That's amazing, Ruby!"

She looked proud of the praise. "Thanks. You place it over your shoulder, and when you want to transform the rod into a blade again, the hilt is at the top. There is a button to do so. When it happens, just hold onto the hilt for a second."

She handed it to him, and he turned it back into a blade. It was a beautiful thing to behold, and Azura could tell that Ruby put her love of weapons into it. "It's wonderful. I can't thank you enough."

She put her hands on her hips. "We're not done yet, mister. We still have the actual mecha-shift dagger to work on. But before that, name the sword."

"Just...on the spot?"

"Of course!" Ruby said, like it was obvious.

He took a moment to look at the blade. It was his mother's blade before him, and the new red rim signified the work of one Ruby Rose. "Red Fox."

He knew that was the right name. It felt natural for the weapon. He looked at Ruby, and he could see that she was pleased with his choice.

"Good. Now put him away. We have to work on the dagger. The magazines are still being annoying, and we have to make sure the transformation will work the way it should. Those two things come first." Ruby said, turning back around to the desk where the dagger sat.

And with that, they were working again. They were a few hours in, and they finally managed to get the magazines to function, with Ruby already having the proper dust bullets prepared. The mechanism for firing fit snugly, with one trigger for his pointer finger, and another for his middle finger. Now, it seemed that the transformation was having trouble, so they had to go back a few steps to see what the issue was. As they were about to figure it out, Yang barged in.

"How are you two workaholics doing?" She said.

"Yaaang! I told you to not barge in when I work years ago. Why do you still do it?" Ruby complained.

Yang waved her off. "Doesn't matter. Anyway, if you haven't noticed, which you guys probably haven't, it is six thirty in the evening. I know both of you missed lunch, so come eat dinner with us."

They moved with haste, remembering how hungry they were.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They returned by seven, trying to figure out where they left off. When they managed to get back on track and working, Azura got a call on his scroll.

"I'll be back in five minutes, Ruby. You got it?"

She turned her head to look over at him, and he could see tired bags forming around her eyes. He figured he looked the same. "Yeah, we're almost done. It should be done before you get back."

"Got it. I'll return the key on my way as well." Azura called as he grabbed the key, and left the room.

He finally picked up his scroll, finding out that it was Pyrrha who was calling. He put the scroll to his ear as he started walking to the office where the keys were held.

"_Pyrrha? What's up?"_

"_Azura? I was wondering when you would pick up."_

The white-haired boy shrugged. _"Sorry, I was working with Ruby. So, what's with the call?"_

Silence followed the question for a moment. _"I'm just worried about Jaune. He won't work with us, will he?"_

"_Possibly not. Jaune's a good guy, Pyrrha. He'll find a way, even if he doesn't know it yet."_

A laugh was heard on the other side. _"Of course. I'm sorry for calling. I am currently alone, and I needed to voice my thoughts. Ren and Nora should be back soon, what about you?"_

"_We're almost done. I promise to be back soon." _Azura said.

"_Okay. I'll see you there, but I might be asleep by then." _Pyrrha replied.

"_You do need the beauty rest." _Azura said jokingly. _"See ya soon."_

"_Right."_

By then, Azura had reached the office, giving the attendee there the key, watching him walk away for a moment before walking back the way he came. However, when Azura returned to the room, he was greeted with the sight of Ruby sleeping, her face pressed to the desk.

Approaching her, he saw that the dagger was finished. It had a similar look to the the sword, with white color on the inside, and red on the outer layer. The hilt was gone, now made with the slightly blockier magazines.

"So that was the issue." He said.

He cleaned the area up, placing the bits and pieces of metal in the bin labeled as 'scrap'. He gave Red Fox and the new dagger to Luna for her to carry, and went up to Ruby, nudging her shoulder. She was awake, but clearly just barely, shifting her head a bit to look at him.

"Ruby, can you hear me?" He whispered, watching her shake her head. "Okay, I'm going to turn around, and I'll carry you back to the dorms."

He turned around, and crouched down. He felt Ruby drag herself off of the chair she pulled up, and slump against him. A few moments of getting a good position and grip, and he was lifting her up. He was holding onto her legs, and he could feel her body give out as she let him carry her, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She mumbled something as they walked out of the garage, and Azura smiled softly.

The silly girl worked really hard for him, and he was grateful for her doing that for him. As they made their way to the dorms, Azura promised that he would make it up to her somehow.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And that's a wrap. This chapter felt a little all over the place, but I admit that I had more to write than I thought. Well, here's some Ruby moments for you folks. She and Pyrrha have been given a lot of time for a reason, but Blake and others will be having more of a presence soon, I promise.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next chapter!**


	8. Lucky Day, Dark Night

**Not much to say here, other than that I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Have a nice day!**

**Chapter 8: Lucky Day, Dark Night**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**May 27th**

**Monday**

**Clear**

Azura strapped Red Fox to his back, and his new dagger to his waist, where the pistol used to stay. He had yet to name it, feeling it was right to give Ruby the right to do so. It wouldn't be enough for what he owed her, but it was a step that he felt should be done. Perhaps after the trip to Forever Fall forest, which was occuring in a half hour, or one in the afternoon, where they would get on bulkheads to transport to the forest for whatever they were doing.

Supposedly, they wouldn't need weapons, but they were still cautioned to bring them in case a Grimm showed up. He closed his locker, keeping his old dust pistol in his rocket locker. It wasn't like he used his locker a lot, instead choosing to keep it in the dorm. It wasn't allowed, but he felt more comfortable with them nearby, so he took the risk.

Azura was met with Pyra's face as he closed the locker door, and he jumped slightly at the sudden closeness. "Uh, hello?"

"You ready? We're getting on the bulkheads now."

"Yeah, I would say so. You think we will be with team Juniper?" He asked.

"Probably, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had one of us go with another team. We don't know how or if we will be grouped up anyway." She replied.

About ten minutes later, everyone was ready and in the bulkhead. There was two bulkheads, all carrying the students who were on the trip, and they lifted off a moment later. Jaune was next to team CRDL, but it seemed that Cardin hesitated to do anything drastic while Azura was nearby. That, or he didn't want Jaune to puke all over him. Azura counted that as Jaune rebelling.

Pyra sat on his left, while Ruby was on his right, and team JNPR and RWBY seated around nearby. Various other students were scattered around, but Azura was more focused on what Ruby was whispering in his ear.

"I believe that Jaune will do it today. He was spending some more time with his team this weekend, and perhaps our work to encourage him will work."

Our work to encourage? Is that what she thought about his fight with Cardin?

Azura shook his head, it was probably best to keep it that way. "You think so? I hope you're right, it seems that Pyrrha is at her wit's end. Even with the extra time he spends with us, he still keeps a certain distance."

"I'm sure of it. Jaune is stronger than he seems, Just have some hope!" She whispered that last part a bit fiercely.

"Why are the two of you weapon builders whispering sweet nothings to each other?" Pyra asked, speaking just quiet enough to avoid Yang's anger.

Ruby coughed and leaned back in her seat, while Azura did his best to give her cover.

"That's not what we were doing! We've known each other for barely two months!" Azura said, matching her volume.

Pyra shrugged. "Not my fault that you spend more time with Ruby than you do with your actual team."

The sarcasm was heavy, but he could tell she wasn't actually mad. Ruby, the socially inept girl she was, missed the mark.

"Hey, it isn't his fault! I asked him to do someth-" She stopped as fast as she started, startled by Azura flicking her on the nose.

"She was kidding, Ruby. You don't need to defend my honor." Azura said with a smile.

"Aww, how cute. She's so quick to defend you!" Pyra said.

Azura could feel the smirk on her face. He turned to face her, flicking her forehead.

"Ow. Why do I get the painful flick?" She complained.

"I had to stop you. Otherwise, Ruby's prodigal brain will stop functioning." Azura said, waving the air nonchalantly. "I can't ruin her cute face either, she still has to grow. You're almost an adult."

"I don't need to grow, I drink milk!" Ruby complained.

"That's no excuse, coming from the pretty boy." Pyra said.

Azura laughed. "I accept my pretty boy status. I mean, I look like my mother, so maybe I am the prettiest one here."

Pyra rolled her eyes. "I refuse to accept that as a fact."

The three of them laughed together, simply talking and joking as they waited for the bulkhead to make it to their destination.A few minutes after they landed and were all gathered, Goodwitch gave instructions for what they would be doing here.

"You are here today because another professor, professor Peach, has asked for samples of the tree sap here. So, we will be gathering the sap with the tree tap and bottles, and then regrouping right here after two hours. You have ample time to go and gather the samples, but you are not to fool around. Grimm do exist in this forest, so I must ask you to have a level of caution as you collect. Stay in groups of at least three."

She continued after a moment. "Before you all get going, I have one more thing to say. If you find any trouble, such as a large number of Grimm, I want you to come and get me. I will be right here if that is the case. You are all dismissed."

As they went to split off in groups, Azura saw Pyrrha looking over at Jaune. The blonde was currently being dragged along by Cardin and his team, but he was looking at Pyrrha and Azura before he fully turned around to walk away.

He wished that he could send Luna after Jaune for safety, but he hadn't perfected the ability to focus one ghost in particular, and he didn't know if that only worked inside of his radius or not.

Not to mention that Summer was still missing.

"You two coming?" Pyra asked.

Azura shook his head and turned around to catch up with them "Sorry about that. Let's get going."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

About thirty minutes in, they found sizable trees to get sap from. Other than Jaune, they decided to move as a group for the occasion, before splitting up to get all of their bottles filled.

"Do you mind helping me out, Azura?" He heard Pyrrha ask.

Azura nodded. "Of course, let's get this done."

As he found a good spot for the tree tap and grabbed a bottle from Pyrrha, she spoke to him.

"So, I noticed that you don't seem that worried about our leader."

He watched the sap slowly come out. "Jaune? Why would I be worried?"

She sighed. "Since he is spending more time with Cardin and his goons again, I'm worried."

He laughed. "I'm confident that team Juniper will be fine. Ren and Nora are fine. Pyra is fine. And Ruby agrees with me that Jaune will be back. Just watch, it will happen today."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Ruby, don't you think?" Pyrrha said, and Azura could feel the frown without even looking.

"I mean, that isn't a problem, is it? You should know by now what Ruby and I were doing, and now I owe her a favor for it. It makes sense that I would spend time with her. I wouldn't say I have spent more time with Ruby compared to you and Pyra. Maybe everyone else, but I don't exactly have to be best buds with everyone." Azura said, watching as the sap took its' sweet time.

"No, you're right. I apologize. I'm just…"

"Annoyed?" Azura finished for her, turning his head around while he held the bottle in position.

Pyrrha nodded. "Well...yeah. Jaune has just been...I'm not sure what word I am looking for." 

"Yes, you do. You want to say that he's weak." Azura said.

"But he can be strong!" She retorted.

"Never said that he couldn't. Just watch, I think he'll come back soon."

"Today?" She asked, looking nervous.

"Maybe. Ruby seems to think so." He replied with a shrug.

"Ruby is young and naive, surely she could be wrong."

"You're better than this Pyrrha. We aren't that much older than her anyway, and age has always meant less in recent years. When was the last time you saw a birthday party?" Azura responded, feeling his own annoyance rise up.

Pyrrha was silent, so he went on. "I'm sorry for being so heated, but you aren't like this Pyrrha. You're the most understanding person I know, which isn't a lot, but you get my point."

Pyrrha smiled, looking much more like herself. "I suppose you're right. I've just been getting frustrated because of Jaune."

Azura smiled at her, turning towards the bottle again. "I'm sorry for not paying more attention to your needs. I must have been a bad friend. I'll try to do better next time."

He laughed off the awkward atmosphere, capping the first bottle off as it finished. Placing it down to his side, he grabbed the second one he and Pyrrha were going to fill. Before taking the cap off, he looked around from his kneeling position to see how everyone else was doing.

Ren was working on the second bottle as Nora seemed to be jumping from topic to topic, while Ren showed no signs of struggling to keep up. How he managed to do that, he didn't know. Pyra was with Blake and Weiss, looking like they were making small talk while Blake filled their own second bottle. Ruby was left with bottle duty and Yang was going on about something, touching her hair like it was a priceless jewel.

He turned back around to fill the bottle, with Pyrrha looking at him. "See, everyone else is currently accepting their daily life as it is. Jaune will return, I can promise you that."

"I hope so." Was her only response.

They stayed in place as they watched the bottle fill, this time faster than before. By the time the second bottle was full, about ten minutes had passed. Azura stood up, and handed a bottle to Pyrrha for her to hold.

As he stretched his aching legs, he saw members of team CRDL come running into the clearing. The first two members, Sky and Dove, if Azura recalled correctly, ran past. The third, Russel was stopped by Yang, who grabbed him by his shirt.

"What's going on?"

"Th-there's a big Grimm back that way!" He said, fidgeting as he was held in place. "It has Cardin!"

She let him go, looking at Ruby as everyone gathered together. Weiss was the first one to speak, already devising a plan.

"Alright, we have nine people here, so we should split up a few roles real quick. We need the fastest people to go and get professor Goodwitch, which means that Blake, Ren, and Ruby should go together to stay safe."

"But we need fast people to go and help Cardin and Jaune!" Ruby quickly complained.

Weiss sighed, but did not argue. "I will go with Ren and Blake then. Our biggest hitters will keep an eye out for other students, so Yang, Nora, and Pyra will do that." She waited for more complaints, continuing after hearing none. "That leaves Ruby, Pyrrha, and Azura to go and find cardin and Jaune. Now, go!"

As they all ran off, Azura could hear Yang yelling out. "You are a damn good planner, Ice Queen!"

He would've laughed, but he was busy keeping pace with Pyrrha while Ruby was up ahead. Azura doubted that Ruby was even at her full speed, but was glad that the girl was keeping their precaution of groups in mind.

As they were running, they could hear the roar of the Grimm, similar to a Ursa, but much deeper.

"Ursa Major!" Ruby called out to them.

Azura frowned as he thought of it. He struggled with three, only saved by Pyra's incredible semblance.

They came upon the clearing where they could see Cardin on the ground in front of the Ursa Major, with Jaune between the two of them. Azura took Red Fox and shifted it into blade form, doing the same with the still unnamed dagger. But, as he saw Ruby to the same, Pyrrha held them back.

"You two seem to believe in him, so give him this moment." She said.

Ruby looked at Azura, and he could see that she felt the same worry as he did. He shook his head silently, lowering his weapons, and Ruby followed his example. The grip she had on Crescent Rose was tight, her knuckles turning white. Pyrrha looked more confident than she ever did today.

Jaune was standing his ground, intently staring at the beast. The Ursa Major roared, taking a swipe at him. Jaune ducked, barely avoiding the hit, before wildly swinging his blade and cutting into its arm. The swing was far reaching, and it cost Jaune a hit to his back as the Ursa Major swung back around.

Jaune went sliding along the ground, but came back up quickly, rushing towards the Grimm. It was another mistake, as the Ursa easily slapped him back towards Cardin again. The blonde got up again, looking dirty and bruised, but ready to continue.

As the two got closer to each other, Jaune raised his shield arm as he swung his sword arm towards the Grimm. The Ursa Major raised a paw towards his shield side, and it was easy to tell that Jaune would not block it in time. Azura went to scream at Jaune to dodge, but was stopped as Ruby covered his mouth with her hand, rose petals fluttering to the side.

As he went to shoot her a glare, he saw Pyrrha raise her hand towards Jaune. He could have sworn that he saw Jaune's shield turn dark, but it was gone as he blinked. He almost dismissed it as fantasy, but his shield was raised higher and closer to his body than before. He could hear Jaune grunt as he took the hit on the shield and finished his slice, cutting through the throat of the Ursa Major.

It dropped to the ground with a grunt, twitching a few times before starting to evaporate. Jaune stood there a few seconds, before shifting his shield back into the sheath form, and placing Crocea Mors into it. He turned around with a determined look, offering Cardin his hand, which the larger boy took.

"Don't you ever try to mess with me or my friends again. Just leave us alone...and stop bullying. You're trying to be a Huntsman, act like one." Jaune said, oozing of confidence.

Cardin didn't respond, but he looked utterly shocked. He nodded dumbly.

Pyrrha spoke quietly to Azura and Ruby as they watched the scene unfold. "Ruby has her speed, and Azura has his ghostly companion. I have polarity as my semblance. I can control magnetism."

It all clicked in place for Azura. The days where they practiced semblances, she was raising her metal-based weapon, or the moment during orientation where she couldn't get her weapon out of the Deathstalkers' eye. However, he did not have the time to contemplate all of the hints that Pyrrha might have given. Jaune stood there, in front of Cardin, looking like he was the king of the world. It was like he was reborn.

It made Azura feel like he saw a brand new huntsman rising up to make something out of himself.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

In the end, the three of them decided to let Jaune take the glory of the moment, allowing him and Cardin to explain the events that occured. Now, they were on the way back to Beacon, with the filled bottles that they could recover after the spectacle. Azura felt like today was a day of change. Jaune was with the rest of his team, laughing as Nora said he was the strongest hunter to ever live. Pyrrha looked completely joyful, and Ren seemed to be the same as always, other than the small smile on his face.

Pyra was currently with them, acting in a similar manner to Ren. Team RWBY were grilling Ruby for what had happened, begging for her to go in full detail. Azura was glad to see them all so joyful, to see team JNPR and their sister team, team RWBY, all back to normal.

But the best part of Azura being able to see all the students on the bulkhead was seeing how team CRDL was taking it. Cardin looked annoyed as he spoke to his team, probably about how they ran away from the fight. But as Azura watched their conversation, he saw that Cardin wasn't actually yelling at them, and was now talking more seriously. Azura hoped that they were having a change of heart, because he knew they could be good huntsmen.

Perhaps now was the time to hunt for Summer. If the day was this lucky, surely he could continue the streak. Luna was behind him, tapping her fingers on his shoulders, and he felt a boost of confidence. He knew what he should do when he got back.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

However, it seemed that hanging out and dinner was the first order of business to take care of. The good mood had come with them to Beacon, and Azura couldn't just leave and ruin it. Jaune seemed the happiest of them all. It was hard to get the desire to miss the moment, all the way to the mess hall.

But Azura knew he couldn't stay. He had business to take care of, and he found that the need to do it only increased the longer he stayed. Before he goes to Ozpin for that book, he needed to find Summer.

He leaned over to quietly talk to Ruby, who was on his right. "Hey, I have a question for you."

Ruby was confused by the secrecy, but after seeing everyone else not paying attention to the two of them, complied. "How can I help?"

If you were a ghost, where would you go in Beacon to avoid a person who can talk with ghosts?"

Azura thought it might be a longshot to hope that Ruby and Summer were similar enough for her to know, but he had to try.

Ruby seemed surprised by the question. "I mean...maybe somewhere with a view? I would want to go somewhere to clear my mind, since you make it sound like an argument happened, and a good view would be perfect for that."

It wasn't exactly a argument, but he was unsure of what else to call it. "That makes sense, thanks Ruby."

Azura could feel someone gazing at them, and it seemed that Ruby felt it too. He needed to say something else to make it seem less secretive.

"And, I haven't named the dagger you made for me yet. I felt that you should have that right, so be sure to think about it, got it?"

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but he had already stood up, using the abrupt action to see who was listening to them.

Blake. How had she even heard them over Yang and Nora talking loudly? Why was she even listening? Azura shook his head, moving quickly after waving to Ruby. "Don't worry about it too much, Ruby! Just think it over. It should be easy for a weapon prodigy like you."

He never heard her response, and he felt bad for leaving her with the questions for why he was leaving, but he needed to see who was listening to them. It wasn't the most private topic, but Azura was not a fan of someone eavesdropping on them.

He exited the mess hall, standing outside of the entrance as he surveyed the area. Somewhere with a view. Azura doubted that the Beacon tower was where she was. She wouldn't want to see Ozpin, and she couldn't float like Luna, assuming they had different semblances. The private gardens aren't open to a wide view, and he doubted she was in a building.

The night sky was starting to loom over the sky, a dark blue slowly taking over. The moon, partially shattered in pieces, gave him a good amount of light to see outside of the light that was given on the walkways. What else was in the direction of such a view?

Vale was beyond that way, the city probably lighting up for the night, like a giant glow stick. So, perhaps he could see if she was on the cliffs shadowing over the Emerald forest.

As he walked towards his destination, he thought about what he would say if he found Summer there. It wasn't an apology he should give, and Summer had nothing to apologize for. But then, what would he say if he found her there?

Azura felt like he was putting too much thought into a simple thing. Summer was clearly hurt in some way, emotionally or mentally. And thinking of the situation like that made a lot of sense to him. She didn't want an apology or honesty from him, and she clearly trusted him, a seventeen year old boy, more than the headmaster of an academy.

"What made you not trust him?" Azura said to himself.

He could see the cliffs coming up, and shook his head to clear the thoughts going through it. Now wasn't the time to think of what happened in the years of Summer being a ghost. He could see her in the distance, sitting in the grass with her knees up and arms resting on them. She looked like a older Ruby to him, even if he doubted Ruby would ever be as tall as Summer.

He approached her from the side, and all he got was a glance from her as he sat down before she returned to looking out towards Vale. Azura was unsure of whether she wanted him here or not, but he took her silence as a pass to do so. They sat in silence for a minute before either of them said anything.

"You know, you should appreciate being alive." Summer started.

He looked over at Luna, who was a couple feet away from them, looking at the moon, and knew that she was right. Life was a gift, even if his gift was to see the dead. He waited to see if she continued.

"But there are some things that only the dead can learn. Some things cannot be thought about until you have seen death." She said, breathing out a heavy sigh. "When I was laying there, slowly bleeding out, all I wanted to see was my family. I thought I could lay down my life, die for them, for humanity...but as my vision blurred and darkness started to take me, I realized that I couldn't do that. I wanted to help Ruby as she grew up, be able to spoil Yang rotten. Their father, Taiyang...I wanted to see him again. I wanted to see his smile again."

Summer laughed pitifully. "And now look at me. I'm giving my final thoughts before I became a ghost to a teenager with the ability to talk to ghosts, but I can't even start to trust Ozpin again."

Azura waited for her to stop before speaking. "Why don't you trust him?"

Summer shook her head, a light smile on her lips. "Asking the big question first, huh?" Her smile disappeared. "That was a mission that I wouldn't have survived. I figured that out after a few years of contemplating it, and there was no way Ozpin didn't know that. He's very intelligent, and he knows a lot of info. More info than a forty year old man should, like he had a few lifetimes to truly understand and make plans. But I was a fool that trusted him. My trust in him got me killed."

"Maybe he just made a mistake." Azura said.

"There's no way he would've done this without a plan, Azura. He's too smart for that. He had a plan for me, and he has a plan for you. I'm confident that he has a plan for Ruby and that warrior girl, Pyrrha, as well. I died for a reason, and I don't mean to say he killed me out of a evil intent...but he clearly intended something for me that would cripple me and put me out of commission. If my silver eyes weren't needed...then why? Was it a way to get to Ruby?"

Could Azura really trust her word? What if she had just been twisted by the cruel reality of death? Were the silver eyes really that important?

"But he needed your eyes in the past, right?"

"Yes, but not now. He's gone to my Ruby. I don't want to see that." She said. "I know you could kill a ghost for good, Azura." Summer finished coldly.

He flinched at the harsh tone.

"You can interact with them, with us. You can clearly kill us again if we were to be evil or whatever. Perhaps even stop a person from becoming ghost before it happens."

"S-Summer...what are you saying...?"

She turned to him fully, pouncing on him and pinning his hands to the ground as she sat on him. "But I could also kill you just as fast. As fast as Ozpin killed me, as fast as he might do to you and anyone else who plays his game of chess."

He could do nothing but struggle. Her silver eyes shone like the moon that was above them, the strength they showed was mixed with a murderous look. The look of a trained huntress, like he was some Grimm. Her nails were biting into his forearms, and he could feel thin trails of blood starting to run. He could also see something else, a look that reminded him of his own mother.

They were the eyes of someone who hadn't accepted their death yet, someone who couldn't move past their living body. A soul that seeked release.

Then, the eyes were gone, and he could see Luna on top of Summer as he got back up. Her white tail was waving wildly, and her anger was visible in the way she shook. As for Summer, she didn't even fight back. The only thing she did was start crying.

Azura had never seen another full-fledged Huntsman cry. The only other time being the night after he first found his semblance, where Luna cried and sobbed silently as she held onto him.

"Luna! Get off of her!" Azura cried out as he moved over to them. His arms hurt as he tried to take Luna off, but she wouldn't budge.

She stared at him like he had lost his mind. Azura felt like he might have. She stayed on Summer while the pinned ghost quietly cried.

"Luna...trust me. Please. I know that as a mother, you probably don't want to at the moment, but I want you to listen to me as my friend."

Luna hesitated, but ended up getting off of Summer. She stayed nearby, with her blade in hand, prepared to cut her down if she tried anything.

Summer was no longer crying, but was sitting up, her head hung in shame. "I...I don't...I'm sorry."

Azura walked up to her, crouching down before he spoke. "Do you want to die?"

She was silent.

"Do you want the sadness and anger to end?"

She nodded.

"Do you not want to talk to Ruby and Yang again?"

She stared up into his eyes, like she never thought of it. All he could see at this moment was Ruby as she confessed her fears and anxiety, and his chest felt tight as emotions flashed through him.

"Do you no longer want to see them? To not have the chance to talk to them?"

It might have been an assumption that Summer was Yang's mother, but she clearly cared for Yang a lot. Perhaps this Taiyang was blonde?

"Of course I don't." Summer said softly.

"Then why did you attack me? Luna would have killed you on the spot if I didn't stop her."

She licked her lips as they quivered. "I don't want to see more suffering...I don't want to imagine my daughters being used by Ozpin. To be sent on a suicide mission like I was."

"Then let's help each other in a better way. You clearly don't trust Ozpin...so, maybe trust me? We can stop him together if he tries anything. It's better than just dying again."

Azura doubted that they could do that easily, but anything to get her off of the mindset she was stuck in.

"I do trust you, since you cared enough to stop me from doing something dumb. I know Ruby got that from me." Summer said.

He smiled at the little joke, before fully standing. "And I trust you. They can say my vision is false and my eyes led by ghostly whispers, but I trust a ghost more than anyone."

Her tone grew emotional as she stood to meet him. "You really cannot turn down anyone, can you?"

"No can do. I like helping people, understanding people. So, are we in agreement? I promise to help you with seeing Ruby and Yang again. Maybe not soon, but when Ruby is ready. I know she wants to see you, but I want to do it when she thinks she is ready." Azura said.

"Of course. I can wait for her to be prepared to see me." Summer said, a look of determination in her eyes. "Don't you need to see Ozpin still? I want to be there. I don't want you to be alone with him, even if Luna is there."

"You're right, I do have to still see him. You realize that you might be seeing more of me and less of Ruby and Yang, right?"

"I need to do it. You are integral to me talking to my children again. And I admit to wanting to be in combat again, if only to protect people with you. If I can stop death from occurring, then I want to."

Azura nodded. "Sounds good to me. We should train my semblance in June then. It will be good for all of us."

"Of course." Summer replied.

He looked over to Luna, who had relaxed somewhat, but still had her weapon out. "Now, I want the two of you to talk...or, have Luna listen to you. I want the two of you to have some trust, for my sake. That means no weapon, mother."

Luna frowned, but listened to him anyway.

"Good. Now, I'm going to leave, so that you two have privacy. Meet me in the JNPR dorm when you're done so that we can see Ozpin." He said.

After making sure they were going to talk, Azura walked away towards the training hall building, where the nearest pathway currently was. However, as he rounded the corner of the building, he was dragged back against the wall. He gasped as one of his bruised arms hit the wall, the sound being muffled by a hand that covered his mouth.

The dark shadows meant nothing to Azura as a Faunus, but it was hard to see anything but the amber eyes of Blake Belladonna, which seemed to glow in the dark. He stared at her as she looked him over, grabbing his arms and frowning at the marks and blood. Even if there wasn't a lot, it must have looked weird.

When she finally removed her hand from his mouth, he questioned her. "What are you doing? And why?"

And why could she see so well? She was a human, wasn't she?

Her eyes narrowed. "Not here. We're going to the dorms, I have to clean you up. Then we'll talk."

She didn't grab his arm, clearly avoiding it. She opted to walk briskly, avoiding the paths altogether. He followed her despite just being shoved against a wall by the very same girl.

This day just kept getting weirder as it went, Azura thought. He hoped that he would still get to see Ozpin, and get his hands on the book that Ozpin wanted him to take from him. It would be important for his semblance according to the headmaster.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura was seated on one of the beds in team RWBY's dorm, wondering of the teetering bunk beds that they built would stay stable. Blake was in the bathroom, clearly looking for something. He figured she was searching for rag to wet and clean the small cuts, as well as something to cover over them after. Hydrogen peroxide would have worked, but he felt that a wet rag would be enough, since he doubted that a ghost could have dirty nails.

Luna never got dirty, nor did she ever seem to need to shower. That was enough evidence for him.

She came out with a wet rag as he thought, but he felt that the bandages were a bit much, even if it was just enough for his arms. Azura decided to just let her do what she wanted, since he was curious to know why she had felt the need to look for him, and if she had heard any of the conversation between him and Summer. Even if she only heard one side of it, that was still a conversation to be kept secret.

She sat down on his right, clearly intending to work on that arm first. As she got to work with the warm rag, Azura asked the first question that he wanted to ask.

"When did you find me?"

Blake didn't look at him as she spoke, continuing to watch her hand as she rubbed his arm with the rag. "I followed after you two minutes later. I found you pinned to the ground, and you know what happened after that. What happened?"

Azura smiled. "So, you want to play that game? Okay. I was having a conversation with the ghosts I mentioned before, and things got heated. Why did you follow me?"

Blake moved to his left side for his other arm before speaking again. "Since I know you're being honest, I will be too. You remind me of someone I knew before he changed. It made me curious." Her tone was the same, but she ran the rag down his forearm a little harder for a moment. "Why can't Ozpin be trusted?"

"That's private."

Blake sighed, putting the rag on the desk that sat near the window and between the beds. "Fine. Give me a non-private reason for why he cannot be trusted."

"He plays a game he shouldn't." He said flatly. "Are you watching me?"

Blake finally started to wrap his arms, even if Azura felt they were a little useless in this case. "I'm...keeping an eye on you. Do you need a reason to trust me?"

"What do you mean?" Azura said in confusion.

"I want a secure place."

"As in, you don't trust Beacon?"

"Not exactly. It's complicated." Blake said, finishing the second bandage and moving to the bed that was opposite of him.

"Then, why?" Azura asked as he brought the sleeves of his sweatshirt back down.

"I am placing trust in you that I am unsure if I can place in my team. Weiss has Ruby and Yang wrapped around her finger, and I refuse to let the same happen to me."

"You sound paranoid." Azura said firmly.

"I am not!" Blake said, turning her hands into fists.

"But you have problems with trust."

Blake ignored him. "I want you to trust me so that I can trust you."

Azura decided to just let it slide for now. "And how would I do that?"

Blake returned to her passive state. "Since you won't tell me why Ozpin cannot be trusted, I will ask for confirmation. One of the ghosts, Luna, is your mother, and the other is connected to Ruby in some way, correct?"

Azura sighed. "You're good at information gathering, you know that? Both of those are true." It was just a shame that she missed the mark by a little, but he wouldn't tell her that. "Now, how can I trust you to keep this info?"

Blake smirked. "Easy."

She reached up to her bowtie and took it off. Azura would like to say that he was shocked, but he knew that his suspicions were confirmed, even if he dismissed the idea rather quickly. She was a Faunus, like him. The cat ears were pretty hard to deny. She put it back on just as quickly as she took it off.

"Now I know why you said that about Weiss." Azura mumbled, before speaking louder. "Fine. Is that all?"

Blake was silent for a few moments. "I'm not that person anymore...I have to put some trust in." She mumbled.

"Blake?"

"I was a part of...the White Fang."

Azura blinked a few times, before her words made sense to him. His first thought was to knock her out and report her, but his next thought was of all that Blake did. Surely she wasn't just a spy?

"Okay." Was all he said.

"Okay?"

"It's for trust. You're watching me, but you gave me info that could ruin you. The least I can do is trust you enough to not kill me."

Blake looked shocked to her core. "R-right."

"You have a private scroll? So that we can talk and stuff."

"O-of course." Blake said, stumbling back into her stoic face before tossing it to him.

He did the same with his private scroll, and they exchanged their scroll info with each other before passing scrolls again.

"I have one more question for you." Blake said as he stood up.

"What about?"

"That ghost...why did it attack you?"

Azura sighed. "Their both females, just to clear that up. I thought I mentioned that before." He shook his head. "Anyway, I have one specific theory. She hasn't fully accepted the fact that she's a ghost, and she never fully recovered from that final battle before her death. I mean, she understands that she's a ghost, but she hates it. She doesn't want to be one. She...she's been a ghost for longer than Luna, and they have both gone through this situation. I think she wants me to free her soul, to kill her."

Blake was taken aback. "I'm sorry."

"It's hardly your fault. I can help her, I know I can."

"You do?" Blake asked, a skeptical look on her face.

"Course not. I may have gone through something similar, but how am I supposed to know what would help a decade old ghost?"

Now that he thought about it, with the way Summer was talking about Ozpin, he would have to be headmaster by then. He supposed that it made sense. Ghosts don't age, but Luna was thirty-two when she died, and Summer didn't look older than twenty-five.

"Before I leave, just know that we are still friends. Just...not the best kind of friends. Not now."

He felt like he was both closer to and farther from Blake than an hour ago.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Twenty minutes after his talk and agreement with Blake, he was riding the elevator up to Ozpin. It was a different experience this time, with Summer's words in his head. Both Luna and Summer were there with him, the two of them seeming to have come to terms.

Luna kept her ears up and was intentionally staying closer than usual to him, and Summer wouldn't even look at her at the moment.

So they had come to terms...somewhat.

The doors of the elevator opened and Azura could see Ozpin sitting at his desk, looking at him.

"I'm glad to see that you are in good health, mister Heart. I assume you are here for that book?"

"That's correct, sir."

Ozpin sighed, but didn't comment on the formality. "Wonderful. I have the book here and prepared."

He handed it over to Azura, and Azura could see that it was a simple black book. The only thing on it that he could see was a title that read 'Chasm of the Soul'. It was worn and old, and as he paged through the book, it looked like it was handwritten by pen. It was small enough to pass as a journal.

"And this will help me?" Azura asked.

"Yes. I believe it will help you to understand your semblance more. I would know, since I used the book to help my own semblance."

"You did?"

"It was due to certain circumstances. A very long tale, for a different time."

Summer scoffed to his side. "I doubt he would ever tell you. Still, it won't hurt to ask the question you want to ask."

She had a point, Azura noted. "Has any progress been made for the Grimm I want to hunt?"

Ozpin nodded, and he felt excitement fill his body. "Not a lot, but some. I believe your mother was killed by a Grimm known as Nightmare. Only one has ever been recorded in history, and it is, at the least, an ancient Grimm. I don't mean to bring up any bad memories for you or your mother, if she is present, but the targets of such a Grimm are usually killed swiftly, mostly from ripping their throat out."

Azura paled, and he could feel Luna grip his shoulders harder.

"It is not a particularly strong Grimm, but it is very smart and cunning. It comes in when people are weak or distracted by other problems. Luckily, it hasn't been spotted in years, with its last known location being southeast of the city of Vale and south of the ocean border to Mistral. I have a certain individual looking into it."

"I see…" Azura said softly.

"I didn't mean to leave you on a dark note, but you are dismissed. Stay safe, mister Heart."

Azura left swiftly after that, not wanting to stay in the room. If anyone thought it was weird that he was gripping at the air, he didn't care. He held onto Luna's hand like his life depended on it, and he could tell that having to think over her death had drained any energy she had.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**I have to admit, I didn't actually plan for the chapter to go like it did as you see. But, when I looked it over, I felt that it actually fit. Is it dark and a bit too dramatic? Yes. But I want to make a few things clear.**

**Summer being the way she is has a simple reason. She has been dead for about thirteen years (As of the story, but she is dead for about fifteen years as of Volume 6), so would that not change the kind of person that Summer is? Not much is known about her, so this is more of a headcanon, but I hope you like it.**

**Ozpin is not evil. I don't mean for him to come off that way, but I want to drive home that he is not a good person. He has plans within plans for people, and he will do what he does since he believes that what he is doing is the right thing to do.**

**As for Blake, I am following certain themes for her character that I feel don't get enough love. I'm doing the same for Ruby. But, what I mean by that, is that I am looking at the base themes they have, such as Blake having issues with trust and Ruby not knowing what to do to help Jaune, since she has had very little experience with friends in my opinion. And it's not that Azura hates Blake now, but it can be hard to trust someone fully when they are watching you like a hawk.**

**I hope you still liked what I did with the chapter. See you in the next chapter!**


	9. Distractions

**This chapter is a bit all over the place, but this is the best that came to me. I had some problems while writing the chapter up, mainly rewriting the middle portion of the chapter. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well!**

**Chapter 9: Distractions**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**June 1st**

**Saturday**

**Cloudy**

Red Fox and Eye of Roses were resting comfortably on his body. He smiled at the memory of Ruby telling him the name of his dagger just three days ago. She tried to act like she was all made, but he could see the excitement in her eyes as she ended up giving a full background story on why she had named the weapon the way she did.

She was embarrassed to say it, but he was thankful for the thought that she put into it. 'Eye of Roses', because she wanted to make sure her friend stayed safe. Something about Crescent Rose being able to see it easier. He was surprised that he never noticed that.

Now, he was in the same clearing where he first tried to practice his semblance. Blake had agreed to leave him alone for these times, allowing him some privacy. It wasn't even that she acted that different. But, now that he knew what she would be doing, it was easier to tell when she was looking at him.

Currently, the three of them were sitting next to each other, looking through the book that Ozpin had given him. The very first page had a very interesting line to Summer in particular.

"The soul of silver controls the fate of our world." She said softly, in wonder.

"That is certainly a specific line for the start of the book." Azura agreed. "Do you have an idea of what it means?"

Summer frowned. "Not exactly, but Ozpin had this book in his position. He always told me that my silver eyes meant that I could change the fate of remnant. I just feel like it might be connected to this sentence."

Azura nodded. "It might be. We're going to have to continue reading to find anything out."

Thirty minutes in, and the most they managed to find that was important was a theory on the soul.

"This book is more like a fairy tale." Azura grumbled.

"But it does have some good information." Summer stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Speaking of, we should read that theory before we start your training today. There is a chance it might have some useful notes."

Azura groaned, but got back to reading. The theory was about two full pages, and it was easy enough to figure out what it was saying. The idea was that the soul starts out as a small ball, similar to yarn, and it gets stretched thin as one grows up and meets new people. Over time, that stretched thread gets tighter and tighter as the person becomes closer with the people that the strings stretched to.

The theory continued off of that idea, wondering if it was possible to stretch a semblance between people, to twist the threads of yarn together and form a bond rapidly through 'soul bonds'.

"Soul bonds?" Azura asked to no one in particular.

"It seems that the theory is saying that it would be possible to bypass some strengthening of bonds by putting two souls together. Like some kind of fusion of the two?" Summer said aloud.

"Should we...try it?"

Summer shook her head. "No. we have no idea what the consequences of such an action would be. It is much too dangerous."

"Back to square one, then." Azura said with a sigh.

"We should keep it in mind until we know more, at least." Summer said as she stood up. "Now, we have to train your semblance. Shall we continue from the last time? With trying to be able to make only one of us visible, I mean."

Azura looked at his scroll for the time. "Yeah, I already ate lunch and it's only one in the afternoon. I don't think anyone is expecting me this evening, either."

However, after three hours, they had made very little progress. Unlike last time, where they managed to get Luna to be halfway visible, he could barely get beyond that point.

"This sucks. This is so frustrating!"

"Everyone's semblance takes time to learn, Azura." summer said comfortingly.

"I knew I should've trained my semblance more than I did! But, no! I guess younger me just wanted to punish his older self."

Azura deflated like a balloon afterwards, sagging as he laid on the ground. "I feel like I might be going about this the wrong way. Why is my semblance so awkward for practicing?"

"To be fair, your semblance is more situational than practical. Maybe you're missing something practical about it." Summer added.

Azura appreciated Summer for trying to help. "Maybe. But what could the practical part of it be? It's not like I can be that practical beyond having ghosts fight with me."

"Not that kind of practical." Summer said as she entered his vision, looking down at him. "I mean, what do you think about while trying to do better?"

Azura thought back to what he was doing as he sat there with his eyes closed. "Mostly how I would 'feel' where you two are, or where your souls would be in regards to my semblance. It was what brought us to this point in the first place."

"Well, perhaps you should try it again with a different approach. A more practical one." Summer suggested.

"Such as?" Azura asked, waving an arm lazily before dropping it again.

"Well, instead of trying to find a soul with your semblance, try to find our bodies with your aura. Aura comes from the soul, just like the semblance."

"You're smart. Too smart. First Ruby, then Weiss, and now you?" A laugh was his only response. "Let's try it."

They set up once more, with Luna and Summer sitting exactly where they were last time. Azura sat back up from where he was, and once he saw that they were both ready, closed his eyes once more.

He activated his aura, careful to keep his semblance in the passive state. He imagined him moving his aura like it had a body, and felt his aura shiver and shift as if it was trying to obey. It wouldn't move more than a few centimeters from his body, but he could feel other aura existing next to him.

Well, ghosts had no aura, since they couldn't be killed, so it wouldn't even activate for them. Semblances could work, such as Luna, who could float whenever. He would know, since she kept it active almost all the time. So, it wasn't exactly aura that he was finding, but the signatures of bodies that held aura.

Azura reached out towards the signatures, and it felt like he was a dog on a leash that was just short enough to not reach some object.

As he physically stood up to see if he could keep such a thing active while moving, he found that it shook and seemed to glitch out like some computer, but stayed. It was fuzzier, like the signature of the two auras had been spilled like water. A red one splashed over to his right, while a orange one seemed to stay in place. At least, he thought so. He put his right arm up and reached out with a palm as he turned to his right.

He hesitantly stepped forward, aware that he was blind to the physical world as he looked for aura. The lesson about aura locations came back to him, and he could hear Goodwitch in his mind from the day they practiced the idea of finding someone else blindly. She had stressed it was for a moment where vision became useless in combat.

And now, as he stepped forward, he finally understood what she had meant. Azura made a mental promise on the spot to thank miss Goodwitch for how excellent she teaches combat class.

A few seconds later, he felt a cold hand grab his outstretched arm. The red aura took his vision, like he was drowning in it, and he snapped his eyes open as he stuffed his aura down. Summer's bright silver eyes were looking at him, and he could see his wrist was in her grip.

He was just glad it wasn't the intense grip she had like yesterday.

"That went better than expected." Summer said.

"You make it sound like you knew this would work." Azura said flatly.

She dropped his wrist as she raised her hand defensively. "To be fair, it was more of a chance. I wasn't sure if you would be able to manage it."

He staggered slightly as Luna crashed into him from the back.

"I guess I still can't quite do it without aura, though." Azura said after he recovered.

He enjoyed Luna's joy at his progress, but she was a weird mother at times.

"It's a start. Now, come on. We've done enough for now, so let's go back up to Beacon. We can read more of that book later on if you want."

"Depends on if I get dragged into some crazy idea or not."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Sometimes, Azura felt that he should just not speak, or else he would be cursed like he was at the moment.

As soon as he got back and found his friends in the library, he was dragged into some board game called Remnant: The Game. At least he was given a rough set of rules to follow. You had to conquer the other kingdoms, you could only make one move per turn, and the only actions that could be taken was with certain cards and movement of your 'troops'.

They had apparently decided to try a game where each kingdom had two players working together, then found that they didn't have enough people for it before he had shown up. It seemed that Pyra was in the gun range for a bit of extra practice, and Blake was off doing 'Blake things' as Yang put it. Ren and Nora had taken Mistral, Jaune and Pyrrha took Atlas, Weiss and Yang took Vacuo, and Ruby had all but demanded to take Vale, while Azura got stuck to go along with her.

He found out about ten minutes later why everyone grabbed a partner and left him with Ruby.

"Ruby." He said flatly.

"Uh, yes?" Ruby said, blinking one too many times to not know what was coming.

"You're a leader of a team and you are able to come up with good plans pretty well, even if Jaune might actually be a tactical genius, right?"

Jaune blushed as Ruby responded. "Yes?"

"Then why do you suck so bad at this game?" Azura said, eyebrows raised as he smiled.

Ruby squeaked before answering. "I don't know?"

Azura heard Summer sigh from behind him. "My daughter sucks specifically at strategy games. It really does run in the family."

"You're a dolt." Weiss said. "Even Yang is somehow better!"

"Yeah! Come on, Ru-hey!" Yang said, looking at the white-haired heiress.

"Well, I'm sure Vale could make a comeback from this defeat." Ren said.

As it turned out, with a bit of help from Summer, Azura managed to help Ruby take Vacuo down. Shortly after, Ren and Nora took them out in one sweep. Even with the loss, He was happy to see Ruby taunting Weiss and Yang over it.

"What was that about me being a useless planner?!" Ruby said, a smug look on her face.

Weiss decided to pull her trump card out at that moment. "Considering that you almost destroyed your own kingdom, only for Azura to help you survive for that long, I'm not sure if you can gloat."

Ruby mocked a look of depression as she turned to him. "Weiss is being a ice queen again, Azura!"

He laughed before patting her on the head. "Sorry to hear, Ruby."

They looked back over to Yang and Weiss, watching the blonde brawler grab the shorter girl in a headlock. "Awww, is our ice queen being a sore loser?"

"I am not!" Weiss said. "I demand that you let me go, you moron!"

"Nuh uh, not happening." Yang said.

They all laughed at Weiss's expense, and even Weiss just accepted defeat and let a smile grow on her lips. To Azura, that was all the proof he needed that Weiss was just Weiss, and not some manipulative liar.

Blake was just paranoid. But, her paranoia was rooted in a lack of trust with anyone, so he was unsure when she would come around, if she did at all.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 4th**

**Tuesday**

**Raining**

"Remind me again why we're spending time alone in the library." Azura said as he stretched in his chair.

"I'm doing research, and you are here to do your own work." Blake said, not looking up from her small pile of books.

Azura sighed. "You're looking into the White Fang branch in Vale while watching me for whatever project you need it for. Even told me to keep the ghosts off of me while we do so."

Not that he fully listened to her. Luna was watching from a short distance, but he did send Summer off. He felt bad for taking the ghost away from Ruby, even if she couldn't communicate with her.

"Don't speak so casually!" Blake hissed.

"Right. No one is around us, and you placed us away from the cameras. No one is going to hear or see us. Plus, everyone else is off doing something else, which just leaves us alone."

"Which is perfect for me. Kill two birds with one stone." Blake commented. "Now shut up so that I can concentrate."

Azura felt like this was going to be a long week for him.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 8th**

**Saturday**

**Partly Cloudy**

Azura sighed as he laid on the bench, leaving an arm and leg hanging off of the side of it. The time away from everyone sucked, and the long evenings of sitting there with little conversation with Blake sucked even more. He was totally right when he thought it would be a long week for him. She had left him alone for the day, saying that she would be busy, and he didn't complain. He also didn't complain when Summer took Luna to give him some peace and quiet.

The breeze of the evening felt nice, and the warm feel of the day was nice. Despite some clouds blocking the sky, the sun still shone brightly enough to give warmth. Azura loved the Summer months, that was for sure. Warmth, the sun stayed up for longer, and the nights always had a soft coolness.

"Hey Azura."

He opened his eyes and looked over, seeing Ruby looking at him.

"Hey, yourself. How's it going?"

Ruby gave a small laugh. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you? Or Blake?"

"Heh, what makes you say that?" Azura asked lazily.

"Well, the two of you have been pretty distant. I don't know, is something wrong?"

Azura sat up with a stretch, shifting to put his feet on the ground. "No, nothing is wrong. The two of us have just been busy. Take a seat, you clearly want to talk."

Ruby smiled sheepishly, taking a seat next to him. "Caught me."

"So, what's got you so worried?"

She shifted nervously, grabbing at the hem of her skirt. "Well, the two of you are kind of doing what Jaune did when Cardin was bullying him. You both go off together and vanish for hours on end, then come back late in the night."

Azura hummed acknowledgement. "Well, Blake is...having some problems. She asked me for help."

"Why would she do that though? Is her team not enough?" Ruby asked, eyebrows furrowed and lips turned in a frown.

He wanted to tell her the truth. To tell her that Blake had problems with trust, that she thought Weiss was some sort of puppet master. But, he couldn't do that to Blake. He would have to lie for her, even if he didn't like doing it.

"She's just been busy. Besides, does it matter if we kill our sleep schedule to do so?"

"Of course it does!" Ruby said loudly, looking frustrated.

Azura was bewildered. He had never seen her this frustrated.

"You two don't even say anything about! Like it doesn't even exist, and the two of you barely speak to each other when we're around! When we do see it happen, Blake just whispers in your ear and you willingly go with her. It's driving me nuts! Don't you guys ever relax?"

He licked his lips as he thought about it. "I would say that we manage just fine."

Ruby breathed out, looking deflated. "You sound like Yang when she gets training. I just worry about you guys. The lot of you are my only friends here, and I wish we could trust each other more."

Azura stood up and put a hand on her head, rubbing her head as she weakly fought back. "I hope you never change, Ruby. You're kind to everyone you know. But, no promises on relaxing too much. If I need it, I'm sure Luna will stop me."

He lifted his hand and let it fall to his side before starting to walk off, not noticing that Ruby had a determined look in her eyes.

.

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 9th**

**Sunday**

**Light Rain**

Azura was left in the JNPR dorm with Luna and Summer. Everyone was elsewhere. He assumed stuck in Vale, despite the minimal rain, or elsewhere on Beacon grounds.

He was glad for the peace of the dorm, with only Luna and Summer to keep him company. He hadn't been spending a lot of time with anyone he knew, other than Blake.

"It's the perfect time to do some more reading." Azura said, addressing Summer and Luna.

Summer tossed him the book from its place on the desk. "I still don't understand why Ozpin called it a book, it is clearly a journal."

"Not wrong. It's only one hundred pages or so, and we already went to page seventeen. That theory is where we stopped." He said, pointing to the open book, with the theory on soul bonds facing them.

"I think we should skip over that theory for now, and come back to it after we go through the rest." Summer suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Azura replied.

The next few pages was once again in the format of a story. It was about a man with brown hair and blue eyes, who was some kind of adventurer. This man was tied to another man, who was described to be a Faunus with wolf ears and dark skin and black hair.

They were tied by the soul, which was described as a special circumstance. The adventuring man was held within the soul of the wolf Faunus,and they could communicate to each other that way. Towards the end of the story, the two men were contemplating the idea of being two people within one body, within a singular soul. And what it meant for the both of them. What caught Azura's interest was the final line of the story, which he repeated aloud.

"One of two paths were forged through time. One path led to the soul of the Faunus disappearing, while the other path killed them both." Azura finished reciting.

"That does sound rather dangerous." Summer commented.

"But we don't know if the story is true." Azura pointed out.

"But we can't prove that these soul bonds won't permanently damage a person forever." Summer retorted.

"We can't prove that it will, either." Azura said, more to himself.

"Let's say that this story is a true documentation of a soul bond. The bonding of the two souls here leads to one of them seeming to fade away until one soul was all that was left, while the other might have killed them both. If you were to try such a thing with someone, who's to say that you wouldn't die?" Summer said.

"You do have a point. We don't know anything about how this would work, and I feel that Ozpin wouldn't tell me anything. We also don't know if my semblance was there, or however it worked."

Summer was confused. "What do you mean? Your semblance is only for you to use."

"Oh, sorry. Ozpin said that he knew only three people that had a version of my semblance. Apparently, in times of grief and bad experiences, it's possible that someone without a semblance could form what I call my semblance, Coexistence. They do act differently enough to be their own semblances. My theory is that it might twist what your semblance would be into one that deals with ghosts, spirits, and apparently souls." Azura explained.

"That is all the more reason to not do something rash with this theory! Something could easily go wrong on a worse scale with a semblance being involved!" Summer said.

"It's okay. I don't think I should do it, either. What made you think I would use my semblance, anyway?" Azura asked.

"Well, if you were to use it with anyone else, it would probably be better with a ghost." Summer commented.

Her eyes shifted from Azura to Luna, then back to Azura. "You two have never tried something like this, right? Possession?"

Azura laughed. "No. Me and Luna have never tried to see if she could possess me. Do you want us to see if it's the same as a soul bond?"

"No!" Summer said, raising her voice, the softness of her voice gaining a new edge.

"I was kidding!" Azura said with a laugh.

"R-right. I knew that." Summer commented quietly.

Before anything else could continue, a knock on the door was heard.

"Azura? Can I come in?" Pyra said.

He closed the book and tossed it to Summer, who quickly rushed to hide it in his bag. He sat upright in the desk chair. "Yeah."

She opened the door and let herself in. As she did so, Azura noticed that she was wearing one of his spare sweatshirts, a simple black one with white stripes on the sleeves.

"So that's why one of my sweatshirts was missing." Azura said.

"You have three sweatshirts, Azura. I doubt it matters that much. Besides, it's raining, and I can't find my jacket." Pyra said with a roll of her blue eyes.

"Hey, those three sweatshirts are needed!" Azura defended himself.

"Whatever you say. Anyway, I came here to see if you were busy."

Azura shook his head. "Not at the moment. Why?"

"Yang told me to go and find you. I'm not sure what about though."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Azura said.

Pyra frowned and walked up to him, and Azura noted that the shorter girl was barely taller than Ruby, and older by two years. "Do you want me to tell her I couldn't find you? I can do that, you know. Maybe scare her off with some fire? Maybe lightning?"

She lit a fireball in her hand, looking at him. Her height didn't make her any less intimidating when she wanted to be.

"It's Yang. She would laugh at the sight. Let's get going."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

He could see that the rain had mostly cleared once they made it to the entrance area of the dorms. A quick look at his scroll, Azura saw that it was almost five p.m.

"You really like that sweatshirt, huh?" Azura said, putting the scroll back in his pocket.

"It's comfy, don't make fun of me." Pyra said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, yeah. You can have it if you want."

"You mean it? Actually, scratch that, I'm just going to take it." Pyra replied.

They walked out into the rain, and Azura started to follow Pyra. He would ask where they were going, but the direction already told him that the Beacon garage was the most likely place they would end up. Summer pulled up next to him with a smile on her face.

"Well, aren't you such a nice guy. Perhaps you should give me a sweatshirt next time."

Azura rolled his eyes. "You're a ghost, you don't need to be warm. You have your own dress to wear."

"It's a combat dress!" She retorted.

"With boots. It's like the two of you are twins." He replied.

"You having fun back there?" Pyra called back.

"Yup, just pointing the obvious out for a ghost." He said, catching up with her.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me, Luna!" Summer said loudly.

Luna ran past Azura, and he could see her giggling silently. A look of mischief was in her eyes as he heard Summer groan. He smiled below the hood, a small laugh leaving his mouth.

"You have some lively people for ghosts if they make you laugh all the time." Pyra commented.

"That's true. They have their moments."

"You know, last I saw, you only had your mother following you, and she couldn't speak. Who's the new ghost?" Pyra asked.

"I would tell you, but it's personal. Only Ozpin knows of her being here." Azura said, his smile now gone.

"You don't like being treated differently, do you?" Pyra asked.

He appreciated her moving a few steps closer to him.

"I'm pretty easy to read, aren't I?" Azura asked.

Pyra shrugged. "You aren't that discreet. You and Jaune might as well be twins. And no avoiding the question."

"It's not my favorite thing. Helping me with my semblance, helping me with a personal problem...it makes me feel like he wants me to do something for him."

"I doubt that's what it is. No need for paranoia." Pyra said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Right. Let's just get to Yang." He said.

He locked eyes with Summer, and a look of concern was written on her face. He decided that it might be better to not talk to Ozpin for a while.

"What do you think Yang wants you for?" Pyra asked as they moved.

"Probably something like helping Ruby or help with her bike. We are going to the garage." Azura replied.

Despite their short conversation about Ozpin, he couldn't help but think of what Ozpin could want from him. Did the man consider him to be special? If someone like him could be considered special, he wondered how special those with silver eyes were. He could still remember the power that Summer's eyes held, how they glowed with the fire of life. Then, why would Ozpin sacrifice Summer if she held that power?

It was excellent food for thought as he walked to the garage.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They entered the garage, and instantly spotted Yang. She was easy enough to find, with her bright blonde hair trailing down her brown jacket. She saw them across the garage, and waved a hand to bring them over.

Once they walked over, Yang looked over to Pyra. "Thanks, Blue."

"Blue?" Azura asked.

"You really haven't been paying attention." Pyra said with a roll of her eyes. "It's like your nickname, Snow. Or Jaune...even if he told Yang to stop."

"Have you seen her eyes, Snow? A dark crystal blue, it's her defining physical trait." Yang said.

"You have a point, Yang. So, why are we here?"

"I'm going to help you relax tonight. We're going to Vale."

"What?! We have classes tomorrow!" Pyra exclaimed.

"Relax, Blue." Yang said, rolling her eyes. "It'll be for just a few hours. Besides, we're going on my motorcycle, Bumblebee. They allow access to and from Vale through the tunnels, so we can get back anyway."

Pyra sighed. "I guess that works. Well, I'm clearly not going with you two. Why did you tell me to bring Azura here myself if that was the case?"

"I just need you to tell everyone else a cover story if they decide to ask. I'll leave you to that."

"Of course they will ask, we're all present for dinner every day." Pyra said.

Azura laughed and nudged her shoulder. "You'll be fine. I believe in you. Go get 'em, Blue."

"Right. See you guys tonight. Treat him well, Yang!" Pyra said, turning around and walking back towards the entrance.

"You ready to get going?" Yang asked, pushing off of the wall.

"I suppose. But, why do you want me to relax?" Azura asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Yang shrugged. "Ruby put me up to it. And, think of this as a dry run for someone else."

"Blake?" Azura asked.

It was the only other person he could think of that would be in a similar state to him at the moment.

Yang turned around, ready to walk off. "Something like that. We have to go to the basement level to get to Bumblebee, so follow me."

It only took a few minutes to make it to the basement level, and it looked very similar to the top level. The difference was that instead of equipment and machines laying around, it was a bunch of vehicles parked within parking spaces.

Bumblebee was near one of the tunnels that lead towards Vale, and Yang turned her head to look at him before speaking.

"So, despite being one for breaking rules, I have to question what exactly goes through the minds of those who work at Beacon. Those tunnels?" She said, pointing towards the one near Bumblebee as they neared the bike. "Completely open. They have cameras, but this isn't the first time I have done this, and I was never told off for doing it."

"That is certainly odd. Well, I guess it doesn't matter to us." Azura said offhandedly.

Yang laughed. "You are just perfect for a companion, we should hang out more. But you've been spending more time with Blake...you secretly a nerd?"

"Just a bit. I still can't understand how Blake just drags me along for her book-reading adventures." Azura said.

It was a lie, but he wasn't exactly hiding the truth.

Yang waved it off. "Nobody can. She's a bookworm, but she's my bookworm partner."

Azura rolled his eyes. "Anyway, how long does it take to get to Vale from here?"

"About ten minutes longer than by airship, so in total, about thirty minutes."

"That's not bad." Azura murmured.

They made it to Bumblebee, and Azura could see the work that Yang put into the bike. It was a smooth and sleek design, with mechanical parts poking out from the sides and bottom. The covering was colored bright yellow in the front and slowly turned orange as he looked towards the back of the bike.

"Quite the motorcycle you have here." Azura commented.

Yang smiled. "Damn straight it is. It's perfect. Now, let's get going, you're sitting behind me."

She sat on the bike, and as Azura went to sit behind her, he saw Summer and Luna looking at him.

"Oh, I completely forget. Sorry, you two." Azura said.

"Snow?" Yang asked, before realization dawned on her. "Never mind. Just do what you were doing."

"Just go do whatever for now. Maybe go hang around Red or something, for me."

Luna flicked her tail in annoyance, but Summer was quick to let it go. "You're going to be safe, right? And make sure to stop Yang from doing something dumb."

"Yeah, yeah. Plus, we both have our weapons. We're allowed to keep them on us, huntsmen-in-training, remember? I'm sure we'll be back in a few hours anyway, it's only five in the evening."

Yang looked rather weirded out. "We'll be back by eleven...if your little ghost friends are listening."

Summer frowned and sighed, but turned around to walk off, slightly dragging Luna away with her. Azura watched them leave for a few moments before turning back to Yang. She was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, but shifted in her seat.

"You gonna get on at some point, Azura?"

"Yeah." He replied, sitting down behind her.

He wasn't exactly sure how to sit on a bike with someone else driving, so he looked like a sitting duck. Yang must've noticed his uncertainty, giving a short laugh before speaking.

"You've ever been on a motorcycle?"

He nodded. "Yeah, the Adels taught me how to drive one, actually. Before that, I was given practice with driving a car. No license though." He was getting offtopic. "Anyway, I just haven't been on the back of one with someone else driving."

Yang smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, that's a different reason than I thought. Look, just wrap your arms around my waist and stay close to me. Don't choke me though. Oh, and if a single strand of hair is missing, you better be able to run fast."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment before smirking once more. "Just kidding. Just handle it with care."

He doubted that she was kidding. "Got it."

He did as she told him to, wrapping his arms around her. She was warm, and he spoke to her to make sure it was good.

"Yeah, that's fine. Just get comfy, I won't bite. It's a small space, so it doesn't matter if you lean on me." Yang said, sliding her gauntlets that were in bracelet form up her arm a bit. "You ready for some fun?"

Azura smiled. "Always. Lead me to your destination."

And with that, she kicked the stand keeping the motorcycle upright up and turned the bike on. She brought them to the tunnel, speeding up as they started going down the road leading towards the city that Azura knew would be lit up like a campfire.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Well, that's that. The middle was a bit weak, but the last part of the chapter came out stronger than I thought it would when I was outlining it. Yang is a character that I feel should be seen closer up, especially with the events of V1. They directly lead to how she acts in V2, so I want to show her caring side more.**

**I mean, Yang is Blake's partner. It makes sense that one would care for their partner, such as how we see with the other pairs.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a nice day/evening!**


	10. A Different View

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write, even with introducing a few new characters. Not much for me to say here, but I want to warn viewers about swearing within this chapter. This story was given an M rating for a reason, but I felt that it didn't make much sense to have it needlessly. I also like the idea of the main cast not swearing up a storm every five minutes.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 10: A Different View**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**June 9th (Same day)**

**Sunday**

**Cloudy**

The sound of the engine keep Bumblebee alive as Yang drove them down the road that led to the city. It was just them on the road, and Azura was enjoying every second of it. The wind blew through his hair as Yang sped down the road, and he found that he had missed the feeling of being on a motorcycle since starting his tutelage at Beacon.

Vale could be seen in the distance, slowly growing closer as they raced down the road. Azura didn't think they would crash, but the thought made him glad for aura. Technically, they should be wearing some safety equipment, but again, aura would cover them well enough.

A few minutes later, Yang slowed up as they reached the outer, more suburban, parts of Vale. Other vehicles were finally seen as they had to follow the rules of the road now, and Azura had to admit to missing the wind. A red light stopped them as Yang leaned the bike to the side and rested a leg on the road.

"Where are we going?" Azura asked, leaning up to do so.

Yang continued watching the light as she answered. "Currently finding a good place to park Bumblebee. We have one stop before I show you a new place, seeing as it's only six. They're officially open later in the night."

The light turned green, forcing Azura to return to his position. The only kind of place that came to mind with what Yang said would be a nightclub of some sort. Azura knew that Yang was adventurous, but he didn't think she was involved in the night life. It piqued his curiosity for what this night held.

He just let her drive for the rest of the time, deciding to take in the sights. The only other time he saw the city at night was looking outside the Adel boutique, which just reminded him of the fact that he was kind of boring during his first time in the city. The lights were starting to be lit up as the sky started to darken slightly.

Yang found a parking garage shortly after his observation, paying the lien that was required to legally park there. Once they found a spot to park Bumblebee, Yang quickly turned the bike off, putting the metal stand up to prop it up before getting off of it. Azura followed after her, stretching as he put his feet back on the ground.

"You looked like you enjoyed yourself, Azura." Yang said, a hand on her hip.

"You can say that again. The feeling of the wind running through my hair always made me feel good."

Yang rolled her eyes. "You're no fun. Well, you ready to get walking?"

"Of course, where are we going?"

"A place called 'Wild Breath'. It's a coffee shop, and where we can hang out until I show you 'The Club'."

Azura followed after Yang as they walked through the city silently for twenty or so minutes, making their way to their destination. It was in a brightly lit district, with quite a few people walking around. They entered the shop, greeted by a dark brown looking interior, a few customers sitting around.

The place was quiet, a piano being heard through the speakers that could be seen. Two servers were seen moving around. He felt Yang grab his arm and drag him to a side table with two chairs.

"We seat ourselves, Snow. You were just standing there like a lost duckling." Yang said.

"Oh, sorry. I was taking my surroundings in." Azura replied, getting comfortable in the chair.

Yang shook her head. "You do that a lot, you know that?"

"Do what?" Azura asked, confused.

"Scouring your eyes all over the place when in a new place. You do it with people as well."

Azura shrugged. "Yeah, it's a habit. Got it from my mother."

"Makes sense. My dad actually made me enjoy cooking, and Ruby never seemed interested. Still, you speak about your mother a lot when you're asked about your habits. You a momma's boy or something?"

Azura laughed. "I guess so. She was the only blood family I knew, and she taught me a lot of what I knew."

"Really? She must have been a badass." Yang said.

He had to admit, it was nice to not hear an apology for his mother's death. "She was scary when she wanted to be."

A server approached them, asking them what they wanted to order. Yang ordered a black coffee, and Azura got a coffee with milk and sugar. Shortly after the waiter left, Azura defended himself.

"I don't want to hear you say anything. I don't drink a lot of coffee in the first place."

Yang smirked devilishly. "I haven't even said anything."

"It's you. You'll eventually say something."

Yang scoffed. "You've been spending too much time around Ruby. She's been wrapping you around her finger."

Azura laughed. "You jealous?"

Yang rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her face. "Doubt it, she can have you."

"Aww, I can't be friends with both of you?"

Yang facepalmed. "This conversation is going nowhere. And I usually excel in talking with people."

"Then let's start over." Azura said, his tone full of sarcasm.

The waiter came back over and served them their drinks, telling them to enjoy before quickly walking off.

"Well, there's your chance. What do you want to talk about?" Azura asked, letting her take over the conversation again.

"Alright. So, what do you expect to come out of this night?"

Azura raised an eyebrow. "An easy one? Probably some crazy adventure where we have to run away towards Beacon to be safe. Preferably without the running away part."

Yang hummed and sipped at the coffee. "You got me there. And no, nothing that crazy, but that does sound fun. Maybe I can drag you along for that."

Azura groaned. "Please no. You did mention a place called 'The Club'. I assume that's a nightclub?"

"Yep. They probably expect me there anyway." Yang said offhandedly.

"Wait, what?" Azura said, almost choking on his coffee.

"I'm a bit of a regular. The owner of the place is a good place for...some rare information. I needed his services to find something out."

Sensing her air of caution around the topic, he moved on. "Right. I recall you saying that this would be a kind of dry run for Blake? Is she acting odd?"

"You already know that Answer, Azura. Don't play dumb with me." Yang replied, her lilac colored eyes narrowing at him.

"Sorry. Why is this a dry run?" Azura asked instead.

"Look, no questions. Just know that while Ruby wants this for you, I want this for Blake. It could be different, but you know that we don't hang out that much."

Azura stayed quiet after that, simply drinking his coffee and listening to the music. It was a quiet place, most likely the opposite of where they would end up going. If he were being honest, he was reminded of Blake by being in this place. Then again, he knew very little about Blake. She had problems with trusting people, yet she trusted him with very private information about her. She was quiet, loud enough only for when she did speak. Paranoid of Weiss, yet stays around her team.

He knew very little of her, but he could say that she was a hypocrite. She wanted to be close with her team, to not have to be on her guard. But, something held her back. Some sort of barrier that only she can see. Did it have to do with what she said to him? He reminded her of someone, or maybe a part of someone who no longer existed? He doubted she would ever answer his questions. She was secretive like that.

"Hey, Yang."

Yang looked back at him from where she was looking. "Hm?"

"You doing good?" Azura asked, leaning forward.

Yang sighed. "Honestly. I was asked to make you relax and have fun, and you go and kill the mood."

Azura chuckled. "Sorry. Quiet places like this make me think."

Yang laughed with him. "Yeah, yeah. Put the blame on me. Yeah, I'm fine. Ruby is just being a mother hen about you and Blake, and I take care of her." She shrugged. "Consider this a night for you and I."

"Yeah, sounds good. To endless fun and relaxation?" Azura said, raising the mug of coffee halfway towards her.

"Not to mention grand adventures." Yang replied, moving to meet his mug with her own.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"Come on Snow, we aren't far from The Club."

She wasn't wrong. He could see the entrance to the place she wanted to show him. But did it have to be in such a shady area?

Sure, they could easily stop any fight that someone might have wanted to start, it didn't stop Azura from being wary of the long shadows at eight thirty at night. He wondered just what kind of place he would find here. He had never been in a nightclub, but he expected loud music and bright lights.

They walked up to the door, and the large and burly man standing there seemed to hesitate as he looked at Yang. He quickly shuffled to the side, letting her pass, before stepping in front of Azura.

"And who do you think you are?" He said, his voice deep and resonating.

"He's with me, Mitch. I suggest you step off." Yang said, a threat lining her voice.

"O-of course!" He sputtered, looking terrified.

Azura didn't want to know what Yang did here to terrify such a man. Surely just being a huntsman-in-training didn't cause that. Did she do something here beyond information gathering?

He didn't have much time to ponder it as the main floor opened up from the hallway, loud music assaulting his ears. The harsh flashing of lights didn't do anything to help with that.

"You get used to it." Yang said, probably seeing his reaction.

She moved off, and Azura moved with haste to follow after her. She was moving off towards the bar, where a man stood, with a dark beard and black hair. As they got closer, Azura could make out the bartenders' dark eyes widening at the sight of them.

Azura felt like Yang wasn't exactly welcome here. And it was confirmed a second later when the man stood stock still and spoke.

"Why are you here? And this time you came with company."

Yang scoffed. "Now now, that's no way to talk to me, Junior. You should really learn respect."

Junior froze. "Of course. Where are my manners? Anyways, who's your friend?"

"Azura. That's all you'll get from me." Yang said in return.

"Right. Well, you still haven't told me why you're here."

Yang laughed. "Damn, you have some confidence now, don't you? I'm here to relax this time, and dragged him along. Nothing scary, I promise."

Junior looked relieved. "Good. Some crazy stuff is happening already, so I'd like for you to stay low, you hear?"

Yang waved it off and took a seat at the bar. "Yeah, I hear you. Grab me a drink, you know what I like."

The man sighed. "Course I do."

He quickly crafted together a orange and red looking drink, some kind of fruit cocktail, Azura guessed. He didn't realize just what kind of adventure Yang meant until now.

"What'll be your drink of choice?" Junior asked as he turned to Azura, leaning on the bar between them.

"Uh, water?" Azura said.

Yang laughed as Junior blinked a few times before turning to get it. "Was it something I said?"

"Melanie, isn't he a strange one?" A light voice said.

"He certainly has the innocence, Militia. He doesn't seem to know what to do here. Perhaps we can have some fun for once." Another voice, Melanie, sounded.

"He's just new. We all start somewhere." The girl named Militia said.

"You're no fun." She replied.

He turned around, looking to match the voices and names that were speaking. He found himself in front of two girls, both that looked rather similar. They had similar black colored hair and sharp green eyes, pale white skin, and body builds. The combat dresses they wore were similar in shape, but not in color and design, and everything else was completely different, like they strived to be two parts of one person.

One of them had a blood red combat dress that ended with a black fabric that had a was threaded like a spider. A dark red bow was wrapped around her waist, and her gloves and heeled boots followed the color code and decor of her dress. The gloves looked metallic, and he assumed that was her weapon in a disguised form. She had a white and silver necklace with a pendant on her exposed upper chest and neck, and her red eyeliner sharpened her already sharp eyes, while neck-length hair framed her face.

The other had a very similar dress, but was colored in light blue and white. She had two silver chains on her dress, around her waist line, that was connected by a blue gem. She had blue fur covering her neck and exposed skin, and blue eyeliner on, softening her overly sharp eyes. Her gloves were also armored, but he could see the semi-concealed blades on her boots.

What was with scary girls and combat dresses? And why were they always good with fashion? He felt an urge to thank Ruby for just being socially awkward, and not scary on any level.

"He can't seem to look away, Militia. What shall we do?" The white clothed one, clearly Melanie, asked, a playful tone in her voice.

The red one, Militia, slightly smirked. "Perhaps he's interested? Must be nice to see someone else who isn't that brute of a blonde. We have grace."

They approached him, and he backed away until he fell back onto the chair, next to where Junior placed his water. Yang was next to him, tapping her fingers on the bar.

"Who are you calling a brute?" She said, annoyance in her voice.

"You know who, you bimbo." Melanie said with a scoff, as if addressing Yang was beneath her.

Yang made to stand up, but was grabbed by Azura.

"You aren't here for violence, remember? I'm sure that she was joking." He said.

He tried to ignore the snort of laughter he heard. Clearly, they felt differently.

Yang sighed and sat down. "Whatever. I kicked their asses last time, I can do it again."

He saw them stiffen in anger, with Melanie tapping her boots together. He hoped it was a habit, and had nothing to do with the blades he noticed. Several men in black and orange suits seemed to appear from the walls, and Junior was standing still, glass and wet rag in hand.

"Again?" Azura asked.

"Long story kid, one I bet she wouldn't care to talk about." Junior said, motioning for Militia and Melanie to leave with a wave of his hand. "But...she does want something. She always does."

It was like the entire mood had changed within a second. The two twins, as he assumed they might be, were no longer preparing for a fight, and the men in suits were gone. Just as it looked like he could relax, Azura felt hands grab his arms and tug him up. He went up with ease, surprised enough to not resist it, glass of water forgotten.

"Then, we'll be taking her friend for now. You want him anywhere in particular?" Militia asked, looking at Junior.

He shrugged. "The kid doesn't look like he would last five minutes on the floor, just bring him to the second floor. And keep him away from _them, _got it?"

The emphasis on whoever he wasn't supposed to see did not get missed by Azura. He looked back, and Yang had the decency to look apologetic. She had tricked him! It seemed that he was just a way to keep some form of peace.

He would say it hurt, but Yang clearly needed whatever info she was looking for. It was smart. But, he wished she would have told him that before this happened.

This entire night suddenly made sense to him. The reason for the coffee shop being their first destination seemed less odd compared to this club. She held her promise to Ruby to help him relax and was now getting what she wanted.

"You can let me go now. I'm a hostage, I get it." Azura said.

The twins listened to him, with Militia now in front of him and Melanie walking behind him.

Militia laughed at his comment. "You are correct in being a hostage, but that blonde brute is on thin ice."

Melanie scoffed. "Yeah, I can't believe Junior decided to listen to that bitch."

"Hey! Yang is my friend, no need to be vulgar." Azura said, trying to defend Yang.

"Damn, aren't you a nice guy. Honestly, we probably know her better than you do." Militia said.

"We barely know you, and we like you better than her by a lot. Besides, that bimbo is the one who wrecked our club last time." Melanie commented.

"Wrecked the club?' Azura asked, surprised.

By this point they were sitting in a booth next to the stairs. Azura was kind of trapped in the middle, with the two girls on either side of him, keeping a certain distance away.

"Course she wouldn't tell you. She wouldn't want to seem like the bad guy. Long story short, she came for info, injured Junior when he wouldn't give the info she asked for, then beat the hell out of us and destroyed the club." Militia explained.

Melanie looked angry at the mention of it. "The fucking cops did nothing but look away from it. They do anything to keep the huntsman academies happy."

Azura was at a loss of words. Melanie looked angrier by the second, while Militia continued to look calm.

"I don't know what to say. I mean, everyone is okay, right? She...packs a punch."

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "What's with you?"

Azura gave an awkward laugh. "I was told to always be nice to nice people. And well, you two seem nice enough, so long as I stick to the rules."

"Whatever." Melanie said.

Militia filled the silence. "We all have aura, and we all know the risks. We were fine for the most part. The club wasn't. Took weeks to repair."

"That's good. But, I don't know if I fully believe you." Azura said.

"Smart. You barely know us, who's to say that we should be trusted." Militia said, agreeing with him.

"But, apparently she had done something here. She said so herself. It's hard to disagree with that...maybe I should ask her later."

"That would be a damn good sight to see. Punch her for me, will you?" Melanie said, nudging his leg with a boot.

"Uh, no promises."

Conversation was dropped, but the silence wasn't able to start to become awkward as a man with a suit came up to the three of them. The man barely spared Azura a glance before he kept his attention on Militia.

"Boss wants the two of you on the floor. Says it's more important than keeping the 'kid' around, as he called him."

Melanie sighed heavily. "Fine. Let's get going, Militia."

"Coming, Melanie." Militia said, standing up and turning to Azura. "Stay still, pretty boy."

That left Azura all alone on the second floor as they all left. Should he just sit still and do nothing? He had his scroll, he could just mess around on it while he waited. Or he could explore the second floor. Junior had said that something was happening on the second floor. What that meant, Azura didn't know, but he had to admit to being curious.

"I mean, what could go wrong?" Azura said to himself.

"Depends on what you're asking that question for, kiddo."

Azura looked up to see who spoke to him, finding a young looking man with a cane leaning against the booth, his free hand holding on to a lit cigar. His pants and gloves were black and he was wearing a white jacket with three gold buttons holding it closed, and he had a gray bandanna wrapped around his neck. A bowler hat rested on his head and his red hair was covering his right eye, but Azura could see his left eye. It was a dull green, reminding Azura of the depths of dark ocean.

"Who are you?" Azura asked, keeping Junior's words about avoiding people up here in mind. Was this one of 'them' he wasn't supposed to see?

"Heh, I wouldn't have approached you if you knew me, kiddo. The name's Rome." The man said.

The name reminded Azura of some other name he had heard on the news before, but he couldn't recall it. He rubbed his temples, mentally cursing himself for never paying attention to what happens in Vale.

"So, what's a kid like you doing here?" Rome asked.

Azura shrugged. "It's a weird story. I was dragged along here, then had to be dragged away from here since she needed something from Junior or whoever. Scary girls kept me company, then they had to go because of Junior, and now I'm here."

Rome whistled. "Sounds like an adventure. Tell you what kid, it could have been worse. This is the safest place in the underbelly of this city."

Azura frowned. "How do you know? You look like you work here."

Rome laughed. "Trade secret, kiddo. Look, you shouldn't stick around, someone scary is coming real soon, and it'd be better to stay away, lest someone stab you in the back. Say, what's your name kiddo?"

Just as Azura went to respond, Militia came up the stairs suddenly, briefly stopping once she saw Rome.

"What are you doing, Roman?" She said, a frown on her face.

"Hey, it's Rome. And I'm giving some advice." He replied, smile on his face.

Militia didn't look pleased, ignoring him to look at Azura. "Come on, we gotta go. Your pal is ready to go."

Over the course of his conversation with the man, he had shifted to be sitting on the edge of the booth near the stairs, opposite of the orange-haired man. Now, it seemed like it was perfect for Militia, who yanked him up, before walking with a haste that had Azura staggering after her.

Once they were down the stairs, Azura felt himself dragged off to the side. They went through a door to a side hall, where Militia attempted to slam him into a wall. He stopped her from having so much force put into by planting his feet, but Militia had surprising strength. It was like she was a huntress without proper training.

"Did you say anything of importance to that man?" Militia basically hissed the question at him, her green eyes narrowing.

Azura shook his head. "No! Nothing that gave my name or any information."

Her grip on his sweatshirt tightened slightly. "Are you completely certain?"

He nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable at the position. "I promise."

She let him go, and he stayed leaning against the wall, if only to not lessen their proximity to each other. He frowned slightly as she sighed. It seemed that he was in a more tense situation that he thought.

"Make sure it stays that way with him. Have you seriously never heard of Roman Torchwick?" She asked.

The red eyeliner really made her eyes scary. "Er, am I supposed to?" He responded to her question with his own.

Militia's already sharp eyes looked sharp enough to cut anything down at the moment to Azura. He decided to never get on the bad side of this place, even if his huntsman training would be enough to do what Yang did.

"Of course that dumbass blonde wouldn't tell you of the possible danger this place has. Look, we don't have time for you to know everything. That guy you met is a criminal named Roman Torchwick, and we've been wrapped up in some dirty bullshit. You would cause complications by being here, so we're making you get out. We're making everyone leave." Militia explained, her voice rapid as she tried to explain as fast as she could.

"I can't do anything to help?" Azura asked.

His bleeding heart just wouldn't let this happen. Everyone should have a second chance, like Weiss and himself. Cardin as well!

"Are you crazy? No, you're leaving, even if I have to knock you out." Militia said, annoyance quickly filling her voice.

Azura felt a surge of stubbornness pop up. "Nothing at all?"

"I don't have time for your bleeding heart and hero act!" Militia growled.

Azura smiled. "Fine, I relent. But I am coming back to check on the place. I was raised this way."

"Whoever raised you is a dumbass. Fine, do what you want. Just leave now." Militia said.

Militia turned towards the door and opened it, barely glancing at him before walking. Clearly, she expected him to follow, which he did. He felt like he had to help them out, but was he truly prepared for that?

It wasn't like he had signed some contract with death or anything illegal yet, so he was sure it would be okay for now. Plus, they did seem genuinely nice, if Militia making sure he hadn't done anything stupid meant anything. Everyone deserves help and kindness, that was what his mother taught him. If Militia, Melanie, and junior were genuine, who was saying that Roman couldn't be nice?

Walking through a musicless nightclub was weird, and it was even weirder to not see any flashing lights. Clearly, this was important. He was right behind Militia as they met back up with Melanie and Junior.

Junior looked relieved. "Good, he's here. Nothing happened, right?"

Militia threw him a glance before responding. "Not at all. Close call, but he wasn't the hardest guy to find."

Junior looked at him. "Good, let's keep it that way. Look, blondie is outside waiting for you. She left earlier to grab her bike, since she thankfully listened to my advice for once. Leave as soon as you can."

Azura nodded, more serious. "Right. Thanks for the warning. I don't know what happened between you and Yang, but you guys are pretty nice."

As he was leaving, he heard Melanie laugh before speaking. "I can't tell if he's dumb or crazy."

Azura waved backwards as he walked away, making his way towards Yang. He made it outside, where Yang was on Bumblebee.

"Let's go." She said.

Azura didn't even answer, just hopping on Bumblebee, and letting Yang drive off. While Azura was glad to be leaving the area, he couldn't stop thinking about the things he was told while there.

Yang had apparently injured people and damaged a nightclub, she needed some kind of information from there, and some criminal wanted to scam him or something. He wasn't really sure what to think, and he wanted to ask Yang for her thoughts. She'd probably answer the last question he had, but he felt that he should avoid the other ones.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The ride was quiet, most people starting to get off of the streets by the time they were starting to leave the city. Azura felt that he was trapped in a loop of his thoughts. He knew that Yang wasn't actually a bad person, but for her actions to have no consequences? It just felt wrong.

Once they were about halfway up the road back to Beacon, Yang pulled them up to the side of the road. Azura was confused as to what she was doing, waiting for her to speak as he leaned away from her.

"What's keeping you quiet, Azura? Those twins didn't fill your head with lies, did they?" Yang asked.

Azura shook his head. "They're not bad people, Yang. Militia actually came in to help me when some criminal came to scam me or something."

Yang looked annoyed. "I know we had to leave because of some shady business, even if they told everyone that they had to close early for business reasons. But, you didn't think of telling me that as we left?"

"There wasn't time for that, you know that. Plus, Militia made sure that everything was still okay."

Yang snorted. "You got me there, but you shouldn't trust them."

"Why should I trust you? You used me as a hostage, even if no one treated it as one. I'm not even holding it against you, but come on." Azura retorted.

"One time doesn't mean anything!"

"Say that to the club you wrecked!" Azura yelled.

Yang clenched her hands, breathing out heavily. "Look, they attacked first."

Azura frowned. "So you destroyed half of the building?"

Yang flinched slightly, looking down. "Yeah...I did do that. I do feel bad for that. I lost my temper."

Azura sighed. "Sorry for forcing it on you, I just couldn't stop thinking about it."

Yang threw a smile on her face as she looked back towards him. "No worries. Anyway, who was the criminal? That's more important here."

"Militia said it was some guy named Roman Torchwick."

"Torchwick?" Yang asked, seeming to be talking to herself. "He's a petty criminal as far as I know. He's been stealing a lot of dust recently, which is odd, but he's not some overlord of Vale. He's a famous thief, but not one with too much power."

"So, why would he talk to me?" Azura asked as he got on the bike.

"I dunno. Maybe to recruit you or something? You didn't give anything up, did you?"

"No, nothing." Azura said, shaking his head.

"Then you're safe. Nothing to worry about. It'll be best to just not think about it." Yang said, turning back around.

"Yeah, you're right."

Yang laughed. "Course I am. Now, let's get back to Beacon. We're already out later than I promised your ghost friends. They aren't going to kill you for it or anything, right?"

"Maybe a stern talking to and a refusal to let me go anywhere without them again."

"Right. Alright, get comfy again, you warm teddy bear. We have to finish this trip."

Azura rolled his eyes at the nickname, listening to her command. This was a rather eye-opening night to him, one that would probably stick with him for a while.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character shift)**

**.**

Roman leaned against the wall on the second floor of junior's club as he spoke into the phone.

"_No, there wasn't anyone worthwhile here."_

A hard voice was heard from the other side.

"_You're sure?"_

"_Of course. I'm a master thief, you bull. I wouldn't miss a million dollar chance if I found one."_

"_Watch your tone. I have the power to end you if I must."_

Roman laughed cockily. _"Not when Cindy needs me. You harm me, she'd kill ya."_

"_For now."_

Roman ignored him. _"Well, she's coming here soon, so I have to go. I'm sure we'll talk again soon, you horny bastard."_

"_You did not just make a racist pun, you insuffera-"_

Roman had hung up on him, giving a short laugh as he put the scroll away.

"Honestly, they should expect me to keep secrets. They scare me, but that doesn't mean I won't do something crazy."

Roman knew that he was playing a risky game. Then again, he was already in a suicide game, so what was a little extra risk? He was supposed to have been nabbing random kids and stealing their info for blackmail, but he ended up giving some random advice. That white-haired kid reminded him of his favorite little sidekick when he first found her, lost and confused in the underbelly of this corrupt city, so he couldn't help himself.

It was also unsafe to try to blackmail a Beacon student. Or a kid with weapons on him. As a master thief, it was easy to see the weapons. He just hoped he wouldn't regret his moment of weakness.

This world might be a survival of the fittest situation, but that didn't mean he had no heart.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**So, this was a segment of the story I wanted to put in earlier in the story, but I thought it would be better to wait. The whole character shift thing will only occur at the end of a chapter, and it won't happen in every single chapter. It's mainly a way for some context to be built, as well as a way for me to shamelessly write Roman. He's one of my favorite characters in RWBY, so I wanted to put him in.**

**And to answer a question that entered my mind while writing it, I will only be using it for short dialogue, context for the 'villains', and to write a separate viewpoint. I hope you like the idea.**

**Also, a team fight will be shown next chapter. I want to say that those **_**do **_**occur, but I have a reason to not write them. The past few chapters have been dialogue heavy, and so will the next one, but it won't be in the context of introducing new places and characters. I felt that I should at least say it, since I was well aware of how much dialogue had been occuring.**

**Well, that's all I have to say. Have a nice day/evening!**


	11. Differences

**Alright, new chapter for the week. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it was fun to really go into it, especially for the moment that I promised last chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoy this one!**

**Chapter 11: Differences**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**June 14th**

**Friday**

**Clear**

Azura never thought that sitting on a bench could be a hard process until he met Summer.

"What do you mean it's fine?! You ran into a criminal!" Summer cried out, looking at him like he was taking this too casually.

"Of course it's fine. Nothing happened anyway." Azura replied.

"That's all fine and everything, but what if he comes back for more? You don't know the city as well as you should!"

"I told you the story already, give it a rest. It won't stop me from going back out into Vale tomorrow."

"No! You made us leave you for a few hours, and look at what happened when we did! Luna was throwing all sorts of fits while you were gone." Summer said, throwing her hands into the air.

"Come on, I'm right here. Plus, I bet that she was fine with it."

A look over at where Luna was floating showed that she wasn't pleased with the choice to leave her.

"Alright, fine. But it's not like anything truly dangerous happened. Plus I'll be going out in broad daylight this time." Azura said.

"Nope!" Summer said, a pout on her face.

Azura groaned. "Really? You're doing the same thing as her!"

"I did it first. Ruby does what I do! But, that's not the point! From now on, other than specific circumstances, me and Luna will refuse to keep you out of sight. You clearly can't handle yourself without trouble following you."

Azura sighed, looking to Luna. "You can't be agreeing with this."

A shake of her head showed that she would be agreeing with this. Azura had no choice but to accept his fate.

"Fine, do what you want. I wouldn't be able to stop you if I could."

"Of course you can't! You're stuck with us, Azura." Summer said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Ugh, you are actually like an adult version of Ruby." Azura groaned.

"Good." Summer said, with Luna nodding her head in agreement.

"At least you two are friends again. Well, since I agreed, I want to set one rule."

Summer looked at him, a frown growing on her face. "Fine. What's your rule?"

"Well, it's rather simple. If I ask you to leave me for something in a combat situation, I want you to do it."

"Only if the situation truly calls for us to do it." Summer replied.

"Deal." Azura said.

"Well, I'm glad that's out of the way. Will you be taking an airship out to Vale tomorrow?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, it'll be easier."

"Is anyone expecting you?"

"Uh, Velvet is. I think it's just her."

Summer blinked dumbly. "Ok. Did you exchange scroll numbers with her?"

Azura smiled sheepishly. "No. But, we're meeting up for the ten in the morning airship."

Summer rubbed a hand against her forehead. "Why you are going out there so soon after what happened?"

"Because she asked me to join her?"

Summer sighed before letting a smile out. "Fine, we'll go tomorrow."

"Good. Now, can we go to combat class? There's another team battle today, and I might actually be put in to fight. Nothing against my team, but it gets pretty boring to watch the fight when you never get to participate in them."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"Can I have team Ruby come down for their team fight?" She called, then looked over at where Azura and everyone was. "As for team Juniper...can Miss Valkyrie and her partner sit this one out for Mister Heart and his partner."

It had actually happened. Azura and Pyra could actually participate in a team fight for once. At first, Azura couldn't even believe it. Miss Goodwitch had never actually allowed either of them to fight in a team fight for one reason or another, but today seemed to be a different day.

"Did...did we just get called down to be in a team fight?" Pyra asked.

"I think we did."Azura replied quietly.

They were standing, but not following after Jaune and Pyrrha. It took Nora giving them a push to get them moving.

"Come on, slowpokes! You finally get your chance!" She exclaimed loudly.

"Good luck, you two. I'm sure you will be excellent out there." Ren commented.

They quickly caught up to Jaune and Pyrrha, who were discussing the upcoming fight. They brought them into the quiet discussion when they saw them.

"So, Azura and Pyrrha have the most experience fighting against them. Azura for Blake and Ruby, and Pyrrha against Yang. I suggest that we have the two of them be our main offensive, Pyra can be the backup offensive, but should try to counter any ranged attack and to control the battlefield. I'll be with her to defend her from anyone who gets past until we can regroup." Jaune said, breaking down his thoughts as they reached the stairs.

They all quickly agreed, and Azura noted just how confident Jaune has gotten. His planning and defense had been getting better, so he could be trusted in his role.

"Wait, what about Azura's ghosts?" Pyra asked.

"I have Luna with me." Azura responded instantly.

"And the other one?" Jaune asked.

A look over towards Ren and Nora showed Summer sitting nearby. "Not fighting."

"Ok. That's fine." Jaune said. "Let's go."

They split off, Azura and Pyrrha stepping forward, while Jaune stayed in front of Pyra. Pyrrha stood next to him, lifting a fist towards him, and Azura responded to their usual routine by finishing the fist bump.

Team RWBY followed a different plan for this team fight, with Yang and Blake standing opposite of them, while Ruby seemed to be looking for some weakness between them. Weiss was in the back, readying Myrtenaster.

Pyrrha leaned towards his ear, speaking to him. "Summon Luna only if we get overwhelmed. Even with me, it'll be difficult to hold off all three of them, and Pyra can only control so much of the fight. Luna can be our surprise card, even if they expect it."

"Right." Azura said, then looked over to Luna. "Don't destroy them so easily. We're first year huntsmen-in-training."

Luna nodded.

"Ready?" Goodwitch called, looking between them all. "Begin!"

Ruby shot off like a rocket towards them. Pyrrha quickly dragged Azura towards her body, shielding the slash of the scythe that clanged off of the shield. Azura felt his weapons suddenly hold no weight in his hands, readying himself to be thrown forward. He was sent towards Ruby a moment later, letting the momentum slam into her, which sent her a few feet away.

Yang was on top of him as soon as he had full control of his weapons again. Dodge to the left, dodge to the right, then hop up. Azura had done hand-to-hand with her often enough to tell her basic combo, quickly punishing it with two jabs with the dagger, his slash from his sword missing her by an inch.

Pyrrha leapt past him, taking over on fighting the brawler as Ruby came back in with a spiral slash that he had to duck. They came to blows, blocking and trading blows with each other. A downward slam from her scythe looked like she missed on purpose, before she spun herself with her semblance, slamming her body into him. They rolled a few meters away, with Ruby ending up on top.

She wasn't able to take advantage of it as she was struck with a small blast of fire. Azura quickly got up, seeing that Pyrrha was now going against Yang and Blake at the same time. He started to make his way over, before noticing that Weiss was no longer behind them. He looked around wildly, trying to find where the small girl was, finding that she was speeding towards him. With no way to dodge in time, he did his best to block the rapid thrust of her rapier when she made it to him. Azura attempted to kick her away, which she flexibly dodged with a slide backwards after pushing off of a black glyph.

"Well, aren't you a dancer, ice queen." He commented.

Weiss smiled with a look of false sweetness. "Just dance, pretty boy."

And dance they did. Weiss was graceful, moving around him like a predator, while he was forced to play her game. Her ice dust was whipping his hair around, and he could do nothing but wait as she built spiraling walls around him. When Weiss stopped her assault to launch herself down from her ice perch, Azura used his dagger and fired lighting dust out towards her. The girl felt the shock, but did not freeze up like Ruby had done before.

Azura could still take advantage, knocking the rapier out of the way with the dagger, and letting Weiss slide her aura along the blade before infusing some aura into his arms to push her away from him with the blade. Luna came down from the top of the walls, grabbed him, and lifted him out of it. He could see that Jaune was currently trying to hold Blake off, while Ruby was fighting Pyra. Pyrrha was still going against Yang, and a look at the board showed that they held the aura advantage.

"boost me towards Jaune! Quick!" Azura yelled to Luna.

She quickly crouched and linked her hands together, throwing Azura towards Jaune once he ran forward and jumped off of her hand with the boost. Azura landed, building up aura in his feet, and launched towards Blake and Jaune. Blake saw him, and jumped away, letting him slam into the copy of her as it shattered on impact.

"I have Pyra. Go to Pyrrha!" He said.

Jaune nodded, running off. Azura ran over to where Pyra was, slashing towards an unsuspecting Ruby. he continued after her stumble from his hit, slashing with both weapons forward, which was blocked by Crescent Rose's shaft. He twisted his sword hand under the shaft, stabbing his dagger forward towards her, and Ruby was forced to retreat with her semblance.

Azura took a moment to take in the fight. Jaune and Pyrrha were currently trying to hold off all three parts of team RWBY, and were clearly struggling.

Pyra was standing next to him. "What should we do? Ruby will cause problems if left alone."

"Alright, new plan. You hold Ruby off, and I'll help them. Luna, go with her. I'll go and make you visible." Azura said.

Pyra didn't even agree, just rushing off towards Ruby, with Luna hot on her trail. Azura wasn't worried about losing the surprise attack with her, he knew that Ruby was strong in a one-on-one fight. Pyra would need the help.

By the time he got there, Jaune was pushed to the ground. Azura fired off more lightning dust and heard an audible gasp from Blake as it hit her in the side. Azura continued to fire off more shots towards her before Pyrrha transformed her sword into its spear form, the tip of it turning black as she spun around with a speed that could match Ruby. It forced Yang and weiss off of her, and knocked Blake off of Jaune.

Azura grabbed Jaune's arm and dragged him back up. The blonde looked tired, and a quick glance told him that Jaune was actually the lowest in terms of aura, despite having the most of it out of everyone. Azura was reminded of the fact that Jaune had the least amount of training out of all of them.

"This isn't something I can handle." Jaune said, catching his breath as Azura stayed alert.

"Just be a tank for us. Plans won't work against such a sporadic team like this. Blake is weak on aura as well, so just last against her, ok?"

Jaune nodded, fully facing Blake as she got back up. Azura felt Pyrrha rest her back against his.

"For the Mistral champion, I'm having a hard time against them. However, Blake's been discoordinated this whole time, which has been our saving grace so far." She said, giving the two of them an overview.

Jaune sighed. "I'll take Blake, you two can take Yang and Weiss."

Pyrrha and Azura stepped forward as Jaune turned to face Blake. Yang was shaking her hands out and Weiss was once more readying her weapon. Pyrrha raised her shield, keeping Miló in sword form. Azura kept his weapons up, going into a defensive stance.

Black glyphs appeared under Yang and Weiss, slingshotting forward towards Azura and Pyrrha. Yang slammed into Pyrrha's shield with a punch, and Azura swiftly sidestepped Weiss. With no time to waste, Weiss summoned a ramp that wrapped back around and skated up it to drive herself back into him.

It was fast, piercing into his aura like a drill as he dropped to the ground. Rolling quickly, he dodged the burst of fire dust that was fired towards him. The thought of dust not being as effective against her ran through his head, and he got back on his feet. Weiss summoned more glyphs at her feet, zooming back towards him. Azura threw his dagger upwards as he brought more aura towards his arm, grinding her rapier against it, before grabbing her wrist.

Weiss gave a yelp as the momentum she had was thrown out of balance, giving Azura control as he slashed with Red Fox, feeling her aura starting to weaken. He was about to drop her aura into the red, but he felt a hand grab his sword arm as Pyrrha yelled for him to watch out. He was yanked backwards, sliding his back on the ground. He saw Yang in the air, raising a fist to land down on him. Before she could hit him, Jaune came in front of him, holding his shield in two hands. He physically shook as her fist slammed into his shield.

"Out of the way, blondie!" Yang yelled.

Jaune was swatted out of the way, but Azura had already taken the chance to move out of the way. Seeing that he had no weaponry, he readied himself to dodge. He was tired, the fight having required a lot of aura and stamina. Miss Goodwitch's voice was heard through the fight, announcing that some fighters had been taken out.

"Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, and Pyra Sol have been taken out of the fight."

Azura felt fear grow in his heart. "Well, crap."

Yang laughed. "Got that right, Snow. Let's go."

She leapt towards him, giving barely any time to dodge. He could see Pyrrha in the background, moving like a trained huntress as she held off Weiss and Ruby. His weapons were sitting nearby. He needed some help before he could get to Pyrrha.

"Luna!" He called out.

Yang knew what that call meant, speeding up her relentless assault as she tried to end their fight. One good hit was all that she needed, one that Azura struggled to not give her. A few seconds later, she slammed a fist into his arm. He gasped in pain, gritting his teeth as he held his ground as Luna flew down onto Yang with a swing of her blade.

The skirmish was over in seconds.

"Yang Xiao Long has been taken out of the fight."

Azura didn't have time to scold his mother, shaking his head to clear it before running to grab his weapons. Only Red Fox was nearby on the way to Pyrrha, his dagger seeming to have been kicked away. She was dancing around as Weiss and Ruby rushed back and forth, dodging and blocking with everything that she was worth.

"Luna, with me!" He called out towards her, before moving towards Weiss.

He caught her as she was about to slide back in for another hit, slamming his sword into her rapier. He shifted his weight on one side and pushed onto her body. Weiss was forced to slide away with another glyph. One more glyph was formed under Myrtenaster as it flew towards Weiss, with the girl grabbing it with her hand.

As Azura raced forward at her, having no ranged option to attempt to stay away, a black glyph was formed in front of him, and he slammed into it. He looked wildly around, seeing that he was surrounded by the glyphs, trapped at all angles. He slammed his sword into it, and while he could see that it would do damage, it was very minor.

There was only one method that could possibly break the glyphs easily. Shield Break. Looking at the board, he could see that he had enough aura to sacrifice to break it. Focusing his breathing, he calmed himself to focus. He crouched down, drawing his sword arm back as his left arm was left in front of him, stretched out. Aura flooded into his right arm, his sword forming a soft veil of aura around it.

He launched Red Fox forward, piercing it into the glyph in front of him. The glyph cracked and splintered into several pieces before shattering, dropping the entire cage of glyphs. He dropped to his knees, feeling the effect of such a drop in his aura.

Arms grabbed him and dragged him up. He shook his head, seeing Luna looking at him. Once he was stable on his own feet, Luna rushed off behind him. A look over at where she went showed her cutting off Weiss from attacking Pyrrha. He had to get moving, feeling his arm groan as he raised his sword again, his legs moaning as he started to speed walk towards them.

His energy seemed to return to him as he actively kept his aura up, starting to run as he felt a second wind fill him. Ruby was running circles around Pyrrha, leaving the warrior with nothing to do but try to predict where she would attack.

"Pyrrha, shield up to your right!" Azura yelled as he continued to shorten the distance.

Blindly listening to him, Pyrrha put her shield up to her right. Ruby quickly attacked from her right, Crescent Rose crying out as it grinded on her shield. Azura jumped in after it, slashing downward towards her. Ruby quickly dodged, only to be slammed into Pyrrha's spear.

"Ruby Rose has been taken out of the fight. Weiss Schnee has yielded to the fight. Team JNPR is the victor!"

Azura laughed tiredly, with Pyrrha joining him after a few seconds. Azura looked over at the board that showed their aura levels. Everyone that was taken out was all in varying levels of red from eleven to fourteen percent, while Weiss and Azura stayed in the low twenties. Pyrrha was sitting at thirty seven percent.

"How did you even manage to keep such a good amount of aura? You had three people on you for a while!" Azura exclaimed.

The redhead looked genuinely flustered. "Er, well...guess I got lucky?"

"That's my partner for ya! She's fantastic!" Jaune exclaimed as he walked over with a smile on his face.

Everyone gathered together as Goodwitch waited. This was the moment that every team dreaded after their match, where Goodwitch would give a consensus on how their team were doing.

"I will do the victor first, as I usually do with these Fridays. Overall, team Juniper is very well put together. I can tell that mister Arc has put in some time to get to know his team and their abilities, giving fair roles to each. Individually, miss Nikos stands at the top. An excellent show of skill, showing a way that a huntress would work their way out of an unfair fight. Despite that, be sure to call for help if you need it." She said.

Pyrrha nodded quietly as Goodwitch continued.

"Mister Arc showed his good tactical side at the beginning, even accepting his weakness and taking the easiest role, even if it was a needed one. However, he also failed to keep his team organized in a clear fashion, even if they organized themselves to fit the fight. Miss Sol fought the most clean out of everyone, even if miss Rose still took her out. You did not use half of your semblance, but I am aware of the level of control you do not yet possess for it. Train with it more."

"Of course, professor." Pyra said.

"Mister Heart has shown the ability to persevere in a situation he has no control over. He swiftly dealt with any issue that came up, seeming to possess the same skill as miss Nikos. However, we must remember that his semblance is aided by what seems to be a rather skilled fighter, and that mister Heart is still a first year student. Think about what would happen if he did not have that kind of assistance."

Azura looked over at Luna, who had already become invisible to everyone once more. She smiled at him, looking rather proud of everyone.

"As for team Ruby, you all performed rather well individually. But, as a team, you were lacking. I suggest that you speak amongst yourselves to figure out what causes it. You are all dismissed, that was the last team fight."

Ruby looked like she had been shot in the heart, looking downcast as Yang wrapped an arm around her and walked off. Weiss and Blake were staring at each other, a passive heat seeming to build up.

"Uh oh." Was all that Azura muttered before walking off with his team to clean off the sweat and exhaustion.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 15th**

**Saturday**

**Partly Cloudy**

Breakfast was an awkward affair for team JNPR. Yang was quiet and kept glancing at Ruby, who was picking at her food with little interest. Weiss and Blake were actively avoiding looking at each other. The argument that team JNPR heard from team RWBY's dorm last night was not finished, from the looks of it.

It was hard to watch, and even harder to be around. Tension seemed to drag them towards the ground, and Azura was itching to get away from it. Luckily, he had an excuse, since he had an airship to catch in ten minutes.

"Alright, I have somewhere to be in Vale. I'll be back later, see ya!" He said rapidly, standing up and moving away from the table.

"Er, yeah! I forgot to mention that Azura asked me to accompany him."

Azura heard Bake exclaim that, stopping after a few feet and turning to look at her. She was looking at him with some hope of escape.

"Yep, she's with me. You ready?"

She looked happy for the first time today, and Azura was surprised to even see a smile on her face.

They exited the building, and Luna and Summer had joined them by that point. Just as he was about to ask why she was joining him, his scroll went off. He took it out and found that he had a message from Pyrrha.

"_We need to talk soon. It's about the team. We're all going to be involved, and it can wait, but I wanted to give you a heads up."_

"_Yeah. Thanks for letting me know." _ He responded quickly before putting the scroll away.

"Everything okay?" Blake asked, looking over at him.

Azura smiled. "Yeah, nothing to worry about."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. Weiss and I are fighting."

"I figured as much. Does it have to do with the team fight yesterday?"

"Yeah."

Azura nudged her shoulder. "Hey, you wanted to escape from that. So, no more dreadful talking about arguments."

Blake nodded. "So, where are we going?"

"To meet Velvet. She asked me to join her for something."

Blake tapped her fingers as she crossed her arms. "Will she mind my joining you?"

Azur shrugged. "I don't see why she would. She likes everyone."

"If you say so."

He nudged her shoulder again. "Just be yourself."

The rest of the walk to the airship docks was in silence. Once they got there, Azura heard a soft and accented voice calling out to them.

"Azura, is that you? And who is your friend?" Velvet asked, her rabbit ears slightly tilting in question.

He quickly turned around, spinning on his heel. "Ah, Velvet! I just got here actually. And my friend over here is Blake Belladonna."

"I can introduce myself." Blake commented.

"Bah, you're quiet enough for it to be needed." Azura said.

Velvet was watching them with a giggle. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Blake."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Velvet." Blake said, looking rather uninterested.

Velvet paid it no mind. "Well, I assume that she will be joining us?"

Azura nodded. "Yeah, if you don't mind."

Velvet shook her head. "It's no problem."

"So, where are we going?" Blake asked.

"An orphanage for Faunus. It's in a…less financed district. Anyway, I go and put half of the funds I get from missions to it, just to help out. I'm here to do that."

"I admit, I am a bit confused. Why did you ask me to join you if you were going for a simple reason?

Velvet shifted, looking embarrassed. "Well...some of the kids were begging me to bring a friend."

"You couldn't ask your team?" Azura asked, even more confused.

"Well, Coco doesn't like kids, for starters. Fox said no when I asked him, and Yatsuhashi is a gentle giant, but he's busy today. So, you were the next person to come to mind."

Azura smiled. "Well, I don't mind. Let's get going before we miss the airship."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Velvet wasn't wrong when she said that it was a less financed area of Vale. Compared to the sections of the city that Azura has seen, this was the most rundown. It wasn't horrible to look at, or outdated, but it clearly wasn't given proper upkeep that most of the city had. Even the area around Junior's club was more cleaned up than this.

"This is horrible. I had hoped it would have changed since I last saw." Summer said.

"Well...should we get going?" Azura asked.

Velvet walked forward, like she was used to the dreary area. Blake sighed, walking behind Azura. As they walked, Azura kept noticing the drastic differences between what Beacon students found when they explored Vale from the docks and what they would see if they explored this far.

The buildings looked dirty and unpolished, paint peeling off of some buildings and stone and brick wearing down on others. Beyond that, the next big difference was the one between who populated the place. In the more well-financed areas that Azura had seen in Vale, the majority of the people there that he saw were Human, with a few Faunus around. But here, it was the opposite. Lots of Faunus, but there was still a fair amount of Humans in the area.

The adults all looked as worn down as the buildings, as tired as the atmosphere felt. Some of them were looking at them, only to look away when Azura looked at them. The few children that were around were playing together, their parents hanging nearby, talking quietly.

"The kids are the only energy here." Blake said quietly.

"Yeah." Azura murmured, before speaking louder for Velvet. "The orphanage is close by, right?"

"That's correct. We'll be there soon." Velvet said, looking straight ahead.

Luna's tail kept flicking back and forth, hitting his back every other second as she held his arm. She had built the habit of hanging on to him ever since his last talk with Ozpin, not that Azura minded.

Summer was the only other one with no reaction, looking on passively. She was the reason that Azura wondered what a full hunter saw in their days killing Grimm.

Like Velvet promised, the orphanage was rather close. It wasn't a particularly eye-catching building, but it was certainly larger than the other buildings nearby. It was a plain, brown colored building, with small windows around the building.

They walked up the few steps that was before the door, with Velvet knocking on the door. After waiting a few seconds, an old lady opened the door, peeking her head out. Upon seeing Velvet, she smiled.

"Oh, hello dearie. I'm glad that you could make it. And who are these cuties?"

Velvet moved to introduce them. "Well, this is Azura. He was the one I asked to come with me this time. And he brought his friend, Blake, along with him. I figured that wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

The old lady laughed. "Never, come on in. And welcome, you two. My name's Lucie, but everyone calls me Lu."

She moved to the side, allowing all of them to enter the building. The inside of the building looked similar to the outside. An unpolished brown wood and red carpet, with a few paintings of landscapes littered around on the walls.

"Now, if you two don't mind, me and young Velvet will be right back, so just wait in here please. I'm sure she told you why she's here." Lu said, turning away towards a side hall.

Velvet followed after her, leaving Azura and Blake to look around the place. Silence quickly filled the rest of the space, broken by the occasional noise coming from the other side of the place.

"I wonder just what kind of children live here." Summer commented.

"Hopefully happy ones." Azura answered absently.

Blake sighed, and Azura realized that he had forgotten that she was there.

"Talking to ghosts now?"

"Hey, I've been doing that for a while now!" Azura defended.

"Come on, it's not like we have nothing to talk about." Blake commented.

Azura shrugged. "It's not like we talk often anyway. If at all…"

Blake didn't respond.

After a few more minutes of sitting in silence, Velvet and Lu returned from the same place they left for.

"Now, I know Velvet was asked to bring some friends with her by the kids. You know, she'd be a great mother." Lu said, cackling as Velvet blushed and sputtered.

Lu coughed as she stopped laughing. "Well, let's go see them, I'm sure they'll be delighted to see some new faces."

Leading them towards the back of the building, the main lobby quickly opened up to a much larger area. The same decor was in place, but on a larger scale. Tattered beds were strewn along the walls, keeping the center area open. Toys and books were laying around, old and used.

A group of six children were in the center of it all, messing around with an assortment of toys. All but one of them were Faunus. Out of the five Faunus, three of them were male dog Faunus, with two of them seeming to be brothers with brown colored hair and ears, while the last one had a black hair and a pair of ears. The last two were female cat Faunus, one with a pair of gray ears, and the other with a golden yellow tail and hair. The Human girl that was playing with them had brown hair that was wildly matted, like she had been rolling around on a bed. They all looked like they were about twelve of thirteen.

"Come here, dearies. We have company." Lu called out, a large smile on her face.

They all made an assortment of noises, getting up and scrambling over to where they were. They were all smiling brightly, and Azura noted that their clothing was more of a mix of garments more than anything. It served as a reminder of where they were, but Azura refused to let a frown out in front of them.

"Are these Velvet's friends?" One of the dog Faunus yelled out.

Velvet laughed and smiled softly. "They are, Damien."

Despite the question that was asked, they seemed more excited to see Velvet more than them.

"Oh, Velvet, can you share another story with us?" Damien asked, this time much quieter.

The rest of them started calling out that they wanted to hear more of her stories. Velvet was practically forced into it, not that it seemed that she minded. She actually seemed rather glad to be able to tell another tale of being a Beacon student. Summer split off to watch Velvet tell a story to the kids, probably reminiscing about helping Yang grow up, if Azura had to guess.

"That poor girl, the children just adore her for her storytelling." Lu said, laughing. "Not that I would know if the stories are true. Honestly, they should be growing into teenagers and finding things to do outside of here, but they still stick together like a pack. I might have to sit them down for more lessons about the real world, the old woman that I am." She finished with another bout of laughter, as if laughing at her own joke.

"They do certainly seem like a lively bunch." Blake commented.

"Aye, they certainly can be. It's enough to tire me out all the time. But, we do have a quieter one here." Lu said.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are they?"

Lu laughed. "Course I don't mind, dearie. And the lass's name is Aurora. She's only eleven, but...the other children won't play with her." Lu said with a sigh, looking tired just thinking about it.

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Well...she's different. In more than one way. You'll have to see for yourselves." Lu said, motioning for them to follow her down another hall.

The sound of the children and Velvet grew quieter as they walked further down the hall. A few seconds later, Lu stopped in front of a door. She breathed in deeply, releasing it after a second before knocking on the door.

"Aurora, honey, can I come in?"

Yes." A voice was heard, a lisp coming out on the s, elongating the letter with a slight undertone of a hiss.

Azura and Blake shared a glance, thinking the same thing. A snake Faunus.

Lu opened the door, slowly walking in. Azura and Blake shuffled in after her, with Blake slowly shutting the door after them. The room was draped in shadow and the sunlight only shone enough to see in the room. A girl was sitting in the corner of the room, wrapped in a blanket and book in front of her.

She looked deathly pale, with bleach white hair and pink eyes that stared at him and Blake. She looked exactly like any human child might, but it was easy to see the scales that lightly framed her cheeks and arms.

An albino snake Faunus was before his very eyes. He didn't mean anything bad by thinking it, but he never really thought about the types of Faunus that could exist.

"These are two people that Velvet brought with her today. I thought that you would like to meet them."

"Thanks." Aurora said, her lisp becoming deeper from her excitement. "Who are they?"

Azura decided to speak up, albeit quietly. "My name is Azura, and my friend is Blake. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet...me?" Aurora said, tilting her head.

"Yes." Azura said, smiling.

A glance over at Blake showed her staring blankly at the girl. He nudged her, and Blake was quick to figure out what was going on, letting a smile out.

"Oh...thank you." She said, as if unsure.

She shuffled closer with her blanket, her pink eyes wide and bright. Azura sat down, cross-legged on the ground. Blake followed his example, while Lu stayed standing.

"Won't you come out to play, Aurora?" Lu asked softly.

The girl shook her head, and Azur finally noticed just how long her hair was. It trailed down past her shoulders and could be seen to the middle of her back, where it was cut short.

"They don't like me."

"It's not you, sweetie. You know that." Lu said, reaching out with a hand.

Aurora flinched away from it, so Lu put her arm back at her side. "It's my ability…"

Lu looked saddened by the words, shaking her head slowly. She walked forward towards Azura, bending down to whisper to him. "Her semblance lets her see your emotions."

She bent back up, moving to the door. "I need to check on the others. I hope Velvet hasn't been overrun."

She left the room, leaving the three of them to sit and look at each other. Luna was sitting next to him, her fox tail wrapped around his back while her ears twitched.

"I'm sorry. I can't stop it." Aurora said.

"That's okay." Blake said, finally talking once more.

The girl shook her head. "You don't like it. You're scared...scared of what I can see. You're like the others. They won't play with me because of it."

Blake looked at him, and he could see confusion wrapping her mind. She clearly had no idea that it was possible. She looked like she wanted to leave.

"It's okay. I can stay here." Azura said, giving Blake a light smile.

She nodded, getting up and leaving the room without saying anything else.

"Are you...okay with my ability?" Aurora asked, staring at him.

Azura smiled. "Of course. I have nothing to hide."

"Honesty. You hide nothing if you don't have to."

"Mostly true. I have lied before."

Azura wasn't sure why he was telling this to a child, but he figured getting her to trust him a little would help.

"Your emotions are warm. They feel comfortable. Do you like yourself?" She asked, shuffling a little closer, dragging her book with her.

"Yeah, I do."

"What about your lady friend? She's filled with warmth too."

Azura was shocked. "You can see Luna?"

"No...I can see another shape next to you." Aurora said.

Azura activated his semblance, allowing Aurora to see Luna.

"Well, there you go. She's my mother."

Aurora's pink eyes shone brightly. "Oh...do you want to read with me?"

Azura smiled. "Of course."

He couldn't help but feel his heart grow warm as the girl smiled at him. He would have to thank Velvet for this chance.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there it is. This was originally planned to just be a moment for Velvet to shine, but I felt that this was important enough of an idea for me to not skip out on. You'll be seeing a bit more Velvet for this reason, so I hope you like Velvet as a character.**

**Well, I hope you liked the chapter! Have a nice day/evening!**


	12. The Learning Process

**So, this chapter is a thing. Not much to say for this chapter, but I do want to note that several hints of future events are sprinkled in. I thought it would be fun to mention that.**

**Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 12: The Learning Process**

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 15th (Same day)**

**Saturday**

**Cloudy**

Two hours had passed, and Azura could say that he was enjoying the peacefulness of it all. Aurora had fallen asleep about twenty minutes before, slumped against his side with the blanket wrapped around her body. Luna was back in her passive form, slowly flicking her tail as they read through the book.

Azura was careful to mark the page they were on before she fell asleep, continuing after doing so. The book was a story about a boy with a big heart, who was searching for his friends. The boy had two companions, a goofy dog and a duck, who taught him of the power that he held inside. It was an enjoyable book, even if he was a few years too old to really be reading it.

The sound of someone knocking on the door, and Azura shut the book, looking over at who it was. Velvet was peeking her head inside the half open doorway, smiling when she saw Aurora sleeping.

"Here, let me help you get out of there." She said softly.

Velvet moved quietly, lightly scooping the girl up in her arms. Aurora woke up, eyelids fluttering open.

"Vel...vet?" She murmured.

"Hey. You should get some sleep. You must have been tired." Velvet replied quietly.

"Mhm." She replied, before becoming more aware of where she was. "Is Azu gone?"

Velvet glanced over at him. "Azura? Yeah, for now. I'll make sure to come with him again."

"You promise?" Aurora asked once she was put on the bed.

Velvet smiled and tucked her in. "Of course." She said, kissing her forehead. "Now, get some sleep."

Once Velvet was confident that she would be sleeping, she turned around and motioned for them to leave, closing the door as she followed him out of the room. Velvet walked with him down the hall in silence, speaking when they had made it a certain distance away from the room.

"I was originally going to thank you for coming with me to this place, but it seems I should thank you for more than that."

Azura looked at her. "Why's that?"

"Well, Aurora struggles with making friends. She doesn't know how to connect with the other kids, and not even Lu has managed to crack her shell completely. I was the only one that had done so, and I think you might be able to do the same. I'm trying to say that you're on the right track, I guess." Velvet explained.

"Oh, well, that's good. I'm glad I could help more than I thought I would." Azura said, scratching his cheek.

Velvet giggled. "Yes, that is certainly good. We just have to grab Blake, then we can return to Beacon."

Entering back into the big room, the group of children were once again playing and messing around. They ignored Velvet and Azura as they walked towards the entrance, finding Lu and Blake speaking quietly. They quickly stopped once they saw Velvet and Azura walking towards them.

"Ah, there you two are. I just wanted to thank you for your constant help and for being so kind, Velvet. And thank you for coming, Azura and Blake. It was nice to meet you two."

"Of course, it was nice to meet you as well." Azura replied.

"Yes, thank you for being so hospitable." Blake said.

Azura and Blake went outside after Velvet said that she needed to speak with Lu. Upon going outside, Azura found Summer sitting on the steps. She was sitting glumly, looking out at the street in melancholy. If Blake wasn't around, he would've spoken to her openly.

Instead, he opted to sit down next to her. She sighed, moving to lean her head on his shoulder.

"You know, it never really hit me that I wasn't able to help raise my kids. But seeing how that girl, Velvet, was treating those children…" She paused, before smiling lightly. "Thanks."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

After Azura promised to visit the children again, with or without Velvet, he was left with just Luna and Summer outside of his dorm. Blake had just entered her dorm and Velvet had already gone down the hall and turned the corner.

He opened the door his dorm, hoping to not find anyone. He really needed to get more training with that journal from Ozpin, since he wanted to return it to the headmaster sooner, rather than later. Plus, he wasn't in the most talkative mood at the moment.

Unfortunately, he was not given that reprieve, finding Ren and Nora having some sort of conversation. They stopped when Nora noticed him walk in, screaming in glee as she tackled him down onto the ground.

"He's back! Renny, he's come back!"

Ren sighed. "I'm aware of that, Nora. Now get off of him before I have to drag you off."

"Awww, don't be like that, Renny! I haven't done this to him in a while." Nora complained, but still complying to Ren's demand.

Azura got up groaning, noticing Summer and Luna looking at him in amusement.

He pointed a finger at them. "Not a word."

"It was pretty funny, to be fair." Summer said.

He waved her off in response as he got back on his feet.

"So, where is everyone?" Azura asked, looking at Ren.

"Training. Pyrrha wanted Jaune to go against Pyra's longer ranged semblance. Today's more of an individual training day, and Nora and I had the day off for our own training days."

Azura moved over to the closet, digging through his bag for the journal. "I see. Well, I have to do my own training for now."

He stood up after finding the journal, moving quickly to the door.

"Just make sure that you join us for what will happen tonight, ok?" Nora called after him.

"Yeah, sure thing." Azura called back.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As he followed Summer down to the more private arenas for practice matches, he wondered if he really was that inconsistent with team JNPR. Nora seemed rather keen to make sure he would show up to their dorm.

"Have I really been distant at all?" Azura asked, looking over at Summer.

"You've certainly been doing your own thing." Summer said, shrugging.

"And you never thought to mention this to me?"

She shrugged again. "You don't seem bothered by it."

"You got me there. So, what are we doing today? You must have brought me here for a reason."

Summer put a hand up to her chin as they walked down the stairs. "Well, you managed to sense auras with a little practice, even while moving, but it was weak at best. And, while it would help to have a singular person be visible, I realized that you don't know my fighting style. It wouldn't help to switch between the two of us, or even fight with me if you don't know how I fight."

Azura nodded. "That makes sense. So, are we going to spar?"

"Yeah. Well, us ghosts don't exactly have defensive auras, despite being able to use our semblances. Our auras can be sensed, but we can't pull them up. This won't cause any problems, right?" Summer asked.

"No. As long as you are passive, I cannot cause any physical harm. Besides, I'm the only one that could harm you at all, but only when you are in a, for lack of a better word, active or visible state."

Azura didn't notice Summer's dark look or frown at the mention of how he could hurt a ghost, moving ahead to open the door. They entered the room, finding Pyra, Pyrrha, and Jaune all in one arena. Pyrrha was watching the two of them, with a scroll in hand, while Pyra shot fire at him. Jaune was rolling, dodging, and blocking with all that he could. Projectile dodging practice made sense for a purely close-range fighter like him.

"Stop!" Pyrrha called.

Pyra quickly let up on her barrage, wiping her forehead with a free hand. Jaune was laying on the ground. Breathing rapidly as he caught his breath.

"That was excellent, you two! Looks like both of you have improved in some way." Pyrrha stated, the excitement in her voice infectious.

Azura drew closer, calling out to them. "Aren't you quite the harsh teacher."

Jaune gave no reaction, and Pyra simply waved lazily. Pyrrha spun on her heel, a smile on her face.

"Ah, Azura! What are you here for?"

"A sparring match." He said blankly.

"With Luna?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not quite. The other one."

The conversation ended there, and Azura made his way up onto an arena next to theirs. He stretched his legs and arms, prepping them to get moving. He drew Red Fox and Eye of the Rose, the sword in his right hand, and dagger in the left. Luna was floating to the side, passively watching. Summer was across from him, and drew two sleek short blades. The ghostly glow of the replica weapons she most likely used while alive barely hiding the silver gleam that showed. He could see a small engraving, but was too far to properly see.

"I'll lay down a few rules. I won't go all out, nor will I use my semblance. Oh, and no underhanded tactics. Is that good?"

Azura felt that, despite his doubts, he should just not ask about those tactics. "Yeah, that's fine. We can go until first to tap out."

"Perfect. Now fight!"

"So much for no underhanded tactics!" Azura said, blocking the overhead slash of the twin blades.

"That doesn't count!" Summer said.

A cross-slash of the blades forced him to dodge back, followed quickly by a block when she stabbed forward. Forcing her hands apart with the momentum of catching the blades with his own, slashing in an arc in front of him. Summer backflipped away from him with ease, her white cloak flipping into his face.

She quickly jumped back into the fight, barely giving Azura any time to breath. He dodged to the side, merely attempting to match her speed, slashing out to push her away. He pushed while she stepped back, vertically cutting with his dagger, missing her as she bent backwards. She retaliated with haste, once more slashing downwards, forcing Azura to back away.

That proved to be the fatal mistake, with Azura being chucked down to the ground as Summer threw her weight into him. They fell backwards, Azura feeling his back groan from the impact, and her blades placed down on his arms.

"Fine, I concede." Azura stated.

The smug look on her face was the first stark contrast that Summer had compared to Ruby. Well, besides being taller.

"That's what sparring against a full huntress is like. You held decently long despite that." Summer said, getting off of him and holding her hand out towards him.

Azura grabbed it, letting himself get dragged up. "Yeah yeah. I sparred with Luna a lot, so I know the feeling." He said, before quickly smirking. "It just takes practice."

Their conversation was cut as Jaune commented.

"Is it just me, or does that look weird?"

Azura turned towards them, remembering that he wasn't exactly alone.

Pyra was the next to comment. "The part where it looks like he fought the air, or where it looked like he was talking to nothing?"

"The fighting looks more out of place than anything." Jaune said.

"Oh hush, you two. I'm sure Azura didn't need to show who he was fighting." Pyrrha said, giving them a look.

Azura couldn't help but notice the doubt that crossed her face. It was understandable to him. He wasn't lying, but he kept away from the topic of semblances and who his other ghostly companion was. He had good reason to do so!

"Still, he got wiped out there. Reminds me of myself when I spare you, Pyrrha." Jaune said, a smile on his face.

Pyrrha blushed lightly. "Yeah, I guess. What exactly happened, Azura?"

"He was distracted by my beauty." Summer commented, putting a hand on his head.

He shooed her hand away before answering. "Well, a trained huntress is certainly tough, especially when you don't know how they fight that well."

"It was a test." Summer said.

"More like an ego trip." Azura said, giving her a half-hearted glare.

Summer never got to respond, Pyrrha's voice cutting her off. "Well, it was certainly interesting to see how it happened, even if we only saw one side of the fight." She turned towards Pyra and Jaune. "Anyway, we should get going, you guys have been working hard. Thanks for your help, Pyra. It's very much appreciated."

"Of course. It's what a team is for." Pyra said, waving off the thanks.

"As for you, Jaune, we have to talk about what you learned. We can go to the library for that." Pyrrha said.

"Right." Jaune nodded.

They all started to walk off, but Pyrrha stopped after a distance to turn back to Azura. "We'll see you later, Azura. Remember what's happening tonight, be at the dorm after dinner!"

She smiled and waved before jogging to catch up with Pyra and Jaune. Azura finally spoke when they were through the door and gone.

"That was…"

"Different?" Summer finished for him.

"Yeah. Not like the Pyrrha I know."

"Perhaps she is simply getting more comfortable with showing off who she is?"

Azura shrugged. "Weiss did say something about her being famous, so it could make sense."

"Well, enough of that thought process. I had another reason for our spar, one that had to do with what I said before." Summer said, clapping her hands together.

"The thing with sensing auras?" Azura asked, turning to fully face her.

She nodded. "Yep. I was thinking about what I was taught about aura sensory, and I recalled that the more you understand someone's aura, the easier it gets to have a more pinpoint location of where they are."

Azura felt confused. "The more you understand someone's aura?"

"Think of it as getting used to a new location. The more time and experience you get with the area, the easier it gets to go around that area. In terms of aura, you will have an easier time finding people and feeling their aura." Summer said, before moving away from him. "Here, let's test it."

Azura watched her walk to the other side of the arena, right up to the edge, before moving towards the center of the arena. He had an idea of what she was planning.

"Come here, Luna." summer called, waving a hand over. "Just keep some distance."

Luna went over to where Summer was, then walked a few steps away.

"So, we're going to do the same thing with aura sensing that we did last time. What did we look like to you last time?"

Azura took a moment to think about it. "Well, Luna was a pale orange color, and I could see a bit of an outline around her. As for you, you had a red aura, and it was splashing all over the place. It was hard to tell where you went."

"That's exactly what I mean. You have been around Luna's aura for so long that you had a good idea of where she would be. And now, we're testing it again, to see if it looks different. It's possible that it could even help with your semblance, since we're stuck at the moment. Just sit down and focus, then say what you see."

Azura nodded, doing as she said. He closed his eyes, focusing on his aura as the orange and red hues popped into his blank vision. While sitting still, he could easily see Luna figure, like the orange color had become another layer of skin covering over her. It was like the color and Luna had become one.

The red hue was sloppy, but the outline of a person could be seen. He knew that the color represented Summer, but he could only barely see her exact location. The stark contrast between the two was easy to see.

"I can see Luna clearly. Her outline, facial features, all of it. But, I can only see you as a base outline, and the red color around you makes that even harder to find you. Kind of like some game of hide and seek."

He heard a clap of hands. "Perfect. That's exactly the kind of thing that we will do."

Azura opened his eyes, wondering what she meant. "Wait, we're going to play a game of hide and seek?"

Summer smiled. "That is correct. I believe that this aura technique will be rather helpful with discovering things about your semblance. So, I'm going to help you learn to master the aura location technique the old fashioned way. Trust me, it was rather useful when I was learning."

"Uh, the old fashioned way?" Azura asked.

"Oh, you know, just a little blind fighting. You have to fight me while seeing me that way. You dodge and defend against me, while trying to see me through the 'hue' that you were talking about."

Azura didn't like the words, and he certainly didn't like the smile that went with it.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"That is the last time I easily agree to something you want to test." Azura grumbled, washing the sweat off of him in the showers of the locker room.

"Quit your complaining. You know that it works." Summer replied, her voice a certain distance away.

"Whatever. Why are you even talking to me while I shower? Do you want to see me naked or something?"

"Please, if I wanted to jump your bones, I would have done so already."

Could that even happen? Azura shook his head to banish the thoughts.

"Besides, I'm a ghost, I don't exactly have to deal with those feelings anymore." Summer replied, amusement in her voice. "Besides, it's easy to tell that you like a strong girl."

"What gave you that idea?!" Azura cried out.

"Pft, you should have seen yourself when you fought Ruby about two months ago. You probably thought she was attractive, huh?" Summer said, the taunt in her voice obvious.

"I don't have to answer that question, I am allowed to have my thoughts! Plus, as her mother, you shouldn't encourage that."

He heard her laugh. "As her mother, I get to have some fun. I'm confident that Luna has done it to you as well."

Azura rolled his eyes. "I won't deny that. Mothers are weird."

"Rude." She replied.

Silence was finally given to him, allowing his thoughts to gather. Despite the fact that he was technically threatened by Velvet to visit the orphanage again whenever he wanted to, he found that he wanted to do just that soon. There was something about Aurora that he felt connected to. Was it the feeling of being isolated because of their semblances? It would make sense.

While he wanted to visit her again, he felt that it might be more productive to bring another person with him. It made sense to him, and he could possibly have some assistance with learning more about the girl. Sure, he had Summer and Luna, but some part of his mind was telling him to get someone his age to go as well.

Blake was already a no go. She was spooked by Aurora, of what her semblance could do. Azura knew that the hidden cat Faunus had her secrets, but that moment made him wonder what skeletons she had in her closet. Well, if Blake wouldn't work, who would? Not Yang. He didn't trust her to not do something dumb. That would also cut Nora out of the picture. It wasn't that he doubted she could help him, but her energy would scare off any skittish child. Ren wouldn't work for the same reason as Jaune, which was a lack of knowing them that well.

That left Pyrrha, Pyra, Ruby, and Weiss. Pyra might work, but the girl was abrasive and crude. Pyrrha would work, given her mother hen mentality, but he had seen how she was with Jaune. Poor Aurora would be smothered, and he wouldn't even be able to stop it from happening. So, scratch that idea.

What about Weiss? Sure, he didn't know her that well, but she was intelligent. Surely she would be able to help out. Besides, she was a nice person, despite what he thought and how she acted. It was a good possibility. But what about Ruby? She was kind and had a heart of gold. She was a little young, but so was he, so he doubted that it would matter that much.

He sighed, thinking that he might as well take the help from the crazy lady that was nearby.

"Summer?" He called out.

"Having shower thoughts?"

"Something like that. It's a dumb question though."

"And? You're asking a ghost a question in an empty locker room while showering." Summer replied.

Azura laughed lightly. "True. If I had to bring someone with me to see Aurora, who do you think I should bring? I have shortened the list of people I would choose, but I wanted your thoughts."

It took a few seconds for him to receive an answer.

"Well, if I had to decide between anyone...I mean, what about Weiss? She's a nice enough girl, even if a little cold. You two could play off of each other pretty well, if you think about it."

He shrugged. "Maybe. What about Ruby?"

"They would both work, honestly. Depends on what you want to do. You don't think anyone from your team would work?"

Azura could say that he did indeed think no one from team JNPR would work. He didn't know why that made him feel a bit guilty when thinking about it.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Not being able to eat dinner sucked, but Blake just had to decide to drag him off to do her ritual of forcing him to do nothing but read while she researched one thing or another. But now that he was in the JNPR dorm, he was glad to have not eaten.

Standing near the door while everyone was looking at him with a look of seriousness was making butterflies bloom in his stomach, and he felt like he might puke.

"Well, isn't this fun." Summer said dryly.

Pyrrha coughed into her fist. "How are you, Azura?"

"Uh...fine?" Azura asked.

He was glad for Luna's support right now, as well as Summer being here for it. It was what kept him from twitching nervously under the gaze of the magnetic warrior. At least Pyra, Jaune, and Ren seemed to not be staring him down.

"We need to talk about...being in a team." Pyrrha said, and he could see that she didn't like her own words.

It wasn't like it made it any less confusing.

"Okay. Then, why is everyone looking so glum?" Azura asked.

Pyrrha looked among everyone else with a look of desperation on her face, before sighing. "We're talking about this for you, Azura. No one wanted to talk about it, but it needs to be done."

Luna's grip tightened, while Summer stepped closer to him. "O...kay. What about me?"

"Well, for starters, we have had several team training sessions, but you've barely made it to any of them. Any time it was brought up, you've simply said that you were busy training by yourself."

Azura blinked. "Well, I need to. I don't mean to miss them as often as I do, but my semblance is untrained as it is."

Ren spoke up next. "While I can understand that, part of a team is the bonding and trust between members. You've been busy with other things, I understand, but beyond your own partner, you aren't even around us."

Azura frowned. "What do you mean? I've spent time with you guys."

"But it's like you aren't even here. You have been so secretive, and we barely know you." Nora said, speaking more quietly than he had ever seen.

Pyrrha spoke up after her. "You know, we had to piece together the fact that your mother was Luna. And you have said nothing about the other ghost following you for the longest time."

"You have no reason to know anything about them." Azura quickly said, his frown deepening.

Jaune sighed. "He has a point, Pyrrha. But, Azura, you have been spending a lot time by yourself or with team Ruby."

"Is that so wrong?" Azura said, feeling his temper rise.

"No, but you are much more distant from your own team than them." Jaune said.

"Then maybe I shouldn't even be on your team!" Azura yelled.

He regretted the words about as fast as he had said them. Nora had flinched back, and everyone else seemed surprised, but he was angry enough to not really care.

Pyrrha finally lost her temper after his words. "You shouldn't be if you can't even put in the effort to be with the team!" She hissed at him.

"Well, it's not my fault that I interact with different people. Who are you to tell me who I can talk to?!" Azura said, feeling his own temper snap.

"Maybe if you even seemed to care about your own team, we wouldn't care!" Pyrrha retorted.

"I apologize for not being the perfect team member for little miss invincible." Azura said, much colder than intended.

He still relished in the feeling of seeing her stop right in her tracks at the mention of her fame. He turned around, opening the door and slamming it shut. He saw most of team RWBY peeking out of the door to their dorm before storming down the hall.

After a few minutes, Azura found himself in what was quickly becoming his favorite area of Beacon, the private gardens. He sighed as he sat down on the bench he sat at several times before, no longer feeling angry.

Instead, he felt shame for what he said to Pyrrha. He stood by his words, but he was pretty harsh to them.

When someone joined him on the bench a few minutes later, he was shocked to see that it wasn't Summer or Luna join him. What didn't shock Azura was who actually joined him on the bench.

"You okay?" Ruby asked, silver eyes gleaming with concern.

"Never better." He replied, cracking a joke.

Ruby smiled at the joke. "I'm sure. Well, both of our teams are in a pickle, you know?"

"Weiss and Blake? Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Azura said, laughing half-heartedly.

"You know that they don't actually feel that way, right? I just...don't like to see everyone getting all split up over some varying opinions and ideas."

"Sorry."

The younger girl shook her head. "No, it's not something to apologize for."

"I felt like saying it to you." Azura said, turning his head to look at her.

He was met with her raising an eyebrow. "To me? Why?"

"I don't know. I mean, you told me about your issues in Beacon...then when you get friends that you can be 'you' around, I find myself arguing with them."

Ruby sighed. "I appreciate the thought, but they are your friends as well."

"I guess so. We all have our fair share of issues, huh?"

Ruby never answered the question, instead choosing to jump to another topic. "Soooo, what about the orphanage you went to?"

Azura felt his brain stop for a moment. "Wait, how did you find out about that?"

"Blake is distant, but she still talks, y'know." Ruby said, amusement in her voice.

Azura liked the idea of Blake going over her day. Honestly, a normal day of being a student of Beacon would be nice.

"You have a point. It was...better than I thought it might be."

"Blake said something about a girl with a special circumstance being there, and that you both met her."

Azura smiled lightly. "Yeah, it's certainly a special circumstance. Aurora reminds me of myself." He shook his head. "That makes me sound like a pity case."

"Don't worry, I don't think anyone would think that. So, could I meet her? I can't right away, but I want to see if I can help with anything." Ruby said, bumping her shoulder into his arm.

"I like the kindness that you have, Ruby. And well, I was thinking of bringing someone with me next time I went. Do you want to see her that badly?"

Ruby nodded. "Of course! It sounds like fun."

Azura laughed, the remnants of the argument from before vanishing from his mind. "Good enough for me. How does next Sunday sound?"

"Well, me and my team were going out to Vale next Sunday. I think Weiss was saying something about the 'first batch of other students for the Vytal festival'. So, we're going out to see the new students coming in. Why don't you come with us? You can bring me along to see Aurora after we see the new students." Ruby said, silver eyes beaming into him.

Azura nodded. "Sounds good to me. Well, I guess I'm going to go find a place to hang out for a bit. I don't feel like going back to the dorms yet."

"Just...take your time, okay?" Ruby said.

Azura never returned to the dorm room that night. His thoughts were more than enough to occupy him, even with Luna and Summer eventually joining back up with him.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character shift)**

**.**

Pyrrha had never felt more tired until this moment. It was like a weight was suddenly dropped on her.

She rubbed her hands over her face, sighing lightly. Jaune was quiet, and Pyra had left the dorm soon after Azura. Nora and Ren were next to each other, the redhead very different from how she usually acted.

She wondered if she had overstepped. She couldn't stop herself in the moment, saying what she first thought of. But that didn't mean that what Azura said didn't hurt her.

Why couldn't she just know what to say in these situations. Her parents had never taught her how to fix these things. She didn't know how friendship worked...how could she?

She wished she hadn't been wrapped up in fame in her childhood. That she wasn't special. That she wasn't given the title of invincibility. She had been wishing for these things for years, yet she was never granted those wishes.

Pyrrha felt like she wasn't meant to have friends. Why was it that having so much for herself meant having so little with others? That hurt more than any words that Azura had said in anger.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Well, this was something I had in mind since starting this little adventure, so I hope you like it. Hopefully you still enjoyed what the chapter had in store.**

**Have a good day/evening! See you in the next chapter.**


	13. Tension and Anger

**Alright, this is the chapter that I was excited to write. I hope you like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Chapter 13: One In The Same**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**June 23rd**

**Sunday**

**Clear**

A week had come and pass, and Azura still barely spoke to anyone on team JNPR. Small comments to Nora, who tried to be kind to him, silent engagements with Ren, and small talk to Pyra was all that occurred. It was easy to tell that Jaune wanted to speak about it, but he was busy with Pyrrha, who was unable to look at Azura.

Azura couldn't find it in him to care, going out of the way to avoid most contact with anyone on the team. It did give him and Summer more time to work, which was a perfect distraction for him.

However, training and practice fights was not what distracted him on the bright afternoon day of June 23rd. As he walked down towards the docks of Vale with team RWBY, and Summer and Luna, he saw plenty of people out and about, setting up signs and banners welcoming people to Vale and certain advertisements of the Vytal festival. It was like all of Vale was waking up to prepare for all of the representatives of the other kingdoms to come.

"Oh, isn't this just wonderful? Vale is doing so wonderfully to set up for all of the students coming in today!" Weiss said, excitement coming off of her in waves.

"She sure is excited." Azura commented to Ruby, who was next to him.

"Is that a smile on her face? It's...kind of scary to see after so many frowns." Ruby said.

"Indeed it is." Azura agreed.

"Oh, shush, you two. I smile often!" Weiss said, defending herself.

Yang snorted. "If you say so, Ice Queen."

"Oh, come on. I am not an 'Ice Queen'." Weiss said with a scoff.

"You totally are." Azura said.

"Yep." Yang said, adding on to what Azura said.

"I have to agree with them, Weiss. Sorry!" Ruby finishing the agreement.

Blake raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. Clearly, they were all in agreement.

"Whatever. That's not what we are here for, anyway. The docks are pretty close."

Azura could already smell it, even if not nearly as good as Blake might have. Being a half-Faunus didn't exactly open one up to all of the benefits. He was glad to have gotten the better eyesight of all things, since Blake's pinched face told him that the smell wasn't the best.

"So, why are we here again?" Azura asked.

"Weiss-cream here wants to greet the students from Vacuo." Yang answered.

"More like to get the edge on her opponents for when she fights them." Blake said, sarcastically correcting the answer.

"Hey, you have no proof of that!" Weiss said, once more on the defense.

Azura could see the docks at this point, the group nearing them by the second. Just as they made it there, Azura looked to the side, finding Luna and Summer looking in the same direction. It was an new-looking dust shop, one that had clearly been broken into. The windows were shattered, and police tape was covering the entrance and a small area around it.

"Woah." Azura said, catching the interest of the others.

"Another dust robbery. Second one of this week, last I heard." Yang said.

"Who could be doing this? This has been happening a lot." Ruby said, speaking to herself.

Azura rubbed at the back of his head, unsure of what they were talking about.

Summer spoke at his side, seeing his confusion. "Remember the Torchwick guy you ran into? He's suspected of running around at night and stealing all of the dust in the dust shops. What doesn't make sense is that he couldn't be doing it alone, and why only steal the dust? And honestly, you should keep up with the news more, Azura."

Azura couldn't really argue that, he had never been one to keep up with the news.

"If I had to guess, I would say that the White Fang is doing it, the degenerates that they are." Weiss said, a bit of heat in her voice.

Azura would have felt offended if he didn't agree with her on some levels. The White Fang were mostly made of criminals, but they had good reason to protest. Even if it was done through bad actions.

Blake looked slightly annoyed by the comment. "They aren't degenerates!"

Then what are they?" Weiss asked, looking ready to get into another argument.

"They are misguided."

Before the two of them could really get into it, shouts rang out from the docks. They all rushed to the edge, looking out over the water. The wooden pier that led out towards the boat was mostly empty, but two guards seemed to be chasing over a blonde haired man. A blonde monkey tail was trailing behind him, and it was easy to see with how he was dressed. Black and yellow shoes, exposed ankles with a bandage on his right leg, blue jeans with a white belt and a small chain running down his leg in a loop. He only wore a white jacket with a collar, and a necklace with something gold attached to it.

Azura was honest, and he knew that Sun had a good reason to be shirtless. Azura knew that he wouldn't hide his chest if he had amazing abs like Sun, even though he exercised nearly every day.

"And he just threw a banana peel at a guard. I like this guy!" Yang said, seeming to enjoy the spectacle that was occurring.

The Monkey Faunus was running away, showing off his flexibility like he wanted the world to see what he could do. He ran up the stairs that were nearby, a smile on his face, and passed by them. He could have sworn he winked at Blake, if the face of being utterly impressed on her face meant anything.

"Well, you wanted to see the competition, Weiss. And, uh, he's getting away." Yang said, hands on her hips.

"We have to go after him and observe him!" Weiss exclaimed, already running off behind the two guards that were giving chase after mister bare chest.

Ruby and Yang were quick to run after her, leaving Blake and Azura there to blink in confusion.

Luna had already gone ahead, while Summer was waiting for them to move.

Azura nudged Blake. "I'll race ya."

"Let's just get going." Blake said, breaking into a run.

Azura laughed, running after the cat Faunus. The streets around the docks were luckily empty for the most part, allowing them to run faster than they would usually be able to if there was a crowd. Corner after corner, street after street, and Azura felt like they would never catch up to the rest of team RWBY.

Summer turned yet another corner, and Azura ended up crashing into her back, not expecting her to have stopped. He was caught by Luna, who stopped his stumble backwards. Looking for the reason for Summer to have suddenly stopped, he found that everyone else had stopped as well, a few feet away from Weiss, who had fallen on someone. He assumed that this was why that blonde guy was missing, they had run into this new girl.

Lining up next to Ruby, he voiced his confusion. "So, who's Weiss currently on top of?"

Weiss got up and scrambled backwards. "I have...no idea."

"Salutations!" The orange-haired girl said, still laying on the ground.

The girl was wearing a simple, white blouse that was covered up by gray overalls that had two green lines around her waist. She had a black collar that also had the unnatural glowing green color around her neck, matching the colors on her stockings. Beyond that, she had a light pink hair bow on the back of her head and emerald green eyes.

"Uh, hello?" Ruby said.

"Do you...want to get up?" Yang asked, seeming unsure of what was going on.

"...Absolutely!" The girl said, smiling widely as she got back up off of the ground.

"Who are you?" Azura asked.

"My name is Penny Polendina, and it is amazing to meet you." Penny said, still smiling.

"Uh, right. My name is Azura." He said, nudging Ruby.

"Um, I'm Ruby."

"My name is Weiss."

"Blake."

"Yang's the name!"

"Well, that is wonderful! It is very nice to meet you." Penny said, repeating herself.

Weiss blinked, confused. "You...already said that."

Penny didn't even look fazed. "Yes, I have!"

"Well, we should really get going." Weiss said, turning around.

"Yeah. It was nice to meet you, friend." Ruby said

They were able to walk all of five feet before Penny sped in front of Ruby, practically giving the girl a heart attack.

"Am I really your friend?" Penny asked, looking pleased with the idea.

Being behind Ruby, Azura had a full view of Yang, Weiss, and Blake trying to tell her that she shouldn't say yes without words.

"Uh...yeah, sure." Ruby said, looking unsure of what to say.

Penny threw her hands up into the air. "Oh, that is just wonderful! There are so many things that we can do together!"

As the girl went on to list every single thing that they could do, Azura tuned her out as Ruby made a comment to Weiss.

"Was I this bad when you first met me?" She asked.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "No, she's far more coordinated than you are."

Yang coughed to grab Penny's attention. "So, what are you in Vale for?"

The girl stopped and spun around to face her. "Oh! I'm here to fight in the Vytal tournament!"

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.

"Of course! I am com-bat ready!" Penny said, saluting Weiss.

"You hardly look like you would be." She replied.

"Say the one who wears a dress." Blake commented.

"Hey, it's a combat skirt!" Weiss defended.

"And it looks cool!" Ruby said, sticking her tongue out at Blake.

Azura was just glad that Pyra wasn't here for that comment.

Weiss walked up to the girl, grabbing hold of her shoulders. "Wait, if you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?"

Penny blinked. "The who?"

"The criminal from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that!?" Blake said, clearly having caved to irritation.

"Huh?" Weiss said, seeming genuinely confused.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a criminal! He's a person, just like us!" Blake continued, walking closer to the girl.

Weiss, as short as her temper, snapped back at the girl. "Oh, I'm sorry," She said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "Would you prefer that I stop calling the lamp post as a lamp post?"

"Stop doing that!" Blake yelled.

"Stop what? He broke the law, he's a criminal! Give a criminal enough time, and he'd surely join up with the White Fang." Weiss said, waving Blake off.

"You ignorant, no-good, brat!"

Blake stormed off, only stopping once Weiss gave chase, the two of them still arguing. Penny had basically vanished, and Yang had gone to Ruby's and Azura's side. Azura could feel Luna's tail flicking against his back once more in an agitated manner, while Summer seemed rather surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"We should probably go." Yang said.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"You sure you're still up to this? I know you don't like the fact that Weiss and Blake are fighting again." Azura said, keeping an eye on Ruby as they walked down the old road to the orphanage.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I should give them space anyway...plus, Yang said that she would be there to stop them from ripping each other to pieces."

"We're all a little dramatic, aren't we?" Azura said jokingly, trying to get her to feel better.

A small smile appeared. "You could say that again."

"We're all a litt-"

"Don't actually do it again!" Ruby said, laughing.

Mission accomplished.

"You told me to say it again!" Azura said, in a mock complain voice.

"Just shut up." Ruby said, still laughing in short bursts.

Laughter was always a great way to feel better. It made him feel better, it made Ruby feel better. Maybe it could make Weiss and Blake not want to always argue with each other.

They made it to the front door of orphanage shortly after, with Azura knocking on the door. If Ruby had anything to say about the condition of the area or the building, she kept it to herself. He didn't blame her, this area of the city was in a depressing state.

The door opened, with Lu looking out at them. She seemed surprised to even see Azura, and even more surprised to see a new person.

"Hello, Azura. It's very nice to see you again!" The elderly woman said with a smile. "Who have you brought to my doorstep this time?"

"This is my friend, Ruby. She wanted to come with me this time."

"To see Aurora?" She asked.

Azura must have seemed confused, because Lu clarified after a few moments.

"Velvet told me that's what you would most likely be here to see her. I'm sure your friend knows what to expect?"

Azura didn't like the sound of that. "She's aware." He said, feeling annoyance build up in him.

She wasn't, but he would tell her in a bit. Lu let them in, and Azura waited for Ruby to take in the sights before speaking. "I was thinking of trying to bring Aurora out, if she felt comfortable."

Lu frowned. "In broad daylight?"

"I have a plan. She's a small girl, you know." Azura said. "Trust me on this. I'll take responsibility if I need to."

Lu sighed heavily. "Well, she can stay out in the sun for a little before it starts to truly bother and hurt her, but you have to be careful. Promise me that, and I can let you do it. Velvet trusts you, and I trust Velvet."

"Wonderful! If she agrees, we won't be out for long, I promise." Azura said, a smile on his face.

Lu nodded in return. "Well, I won't stop you now. Just be careful out there."

She walked off, most likely to do whatever she needed to get done around the place.

"So, what am I supposed to know?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

Azura sighed, looked at Luna and Summer, who shrugged, then looked back at Ruby.

"Just a few things to keep in mind, really. For one, she's albino. Can't keep her in the sun for long, and have to be cautious to keep her safe while outside. Keep in mind that she seems to have a lisp, pronouncing the s letter like a hiss. She's a snake Faunus, so she might have picked that up from genetics or something."

"Anything else?"

Azura sighed again. "She can sense, or maybe see would be better, your emotions. Her semblance can sort of see the emotions of a person, but I never asked for the specifics about it. She was even able to see the ghosts." He said, pointing a finger to his side, where Summer and Luna stood, watching.

Ruby seemed a bit overwhelmed by the information. "That's...a lot to take in."

Azura laughed, starting to lead her towards the room they needed to go to. "You'll get used to it. She's a sweet girl, but doesn't know when to not say what her semblance shows her. Are you sure you still want to see her? She wouldn't mind it if you didn't."

Aurora wouldn't even know. What she didn't know didn't hurt her, right?

"No, I can do it." Ruby said, a look of determination on her face.

"Good! She could do with another friend." Azura replied.

They finally reached the door that they needed, with Azura taking a deep breath. He was more nervous than he expected. Knocking on the door three times, he waited to see if she would reply. A few seconds later, and with the pitter patter of footsteps, the door finally opened to reveal the porcelain white skin and hair, and the pink eyes that widened in surprise upon seeing Azura.

"Azu...ra?" She asked, seeming like she had all but forgotten how to say his name.

"Hey, Aurora. How have you been?"

"Happiness." She said, still looking up at his face.

It took a moment for Azura to realize what she meant. "Yes, I am happy to see you again. How have you been?" He asked again.

Another blink. "Good. Who is behind you? They seem...scared? Ne-nervous?"

He shifted over for Ruby to be seen before bending down a bit to be on her level. "She just doesn't know what to say. She's not the best at talking to people."

"Like me."

Ruby joined Azura, crouching down next to him. "Just like you. My name is Ruby...uh, hello?"

Aurora giggled lowly. "Hello."

"Hey, Aurora. I want to ask you something." Azura said.

The girl tensed up slightly, before silently tilting her head like she was waiting for him to say something.

"How would you feel about going outside?"

The girl blinked rapidly, like she had heard incorrectly. "But...I can't. The sun is out."

"What if I had a super smart plan to help that?"

"You...do?" She asked.

"You do?" Ruby asked.

Azura flicked her on the side of her head, then turned back to Aurora with a smile. "I do."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"Your not bothered by this, are you?" Azura asked.

They were currently walking through the more shaded streets as they returned to the more financed areas. Aurora was being carried on Azura's back, wearing his hoodie, which easily covered her body and the hood did plenty to hide her head and provide shade. Not many people were around, which was useful for bringing two socially inept people around.

"No."

A moment of silence reigned as Azura smiled towards Ruby, who smiled back at him.

"You are...happy. Glad. It makes me happy." Aurora said, her soft voice muffled against his back.

"I like to see you happy. Does the air smell good?"

"It is...not like my room. But, I like it." She responded.

At Ruby's suggestion, they were heading towards a small park that she knew. Apparently, it wasn't used often, which was perfect for what they needed. It took a few minutes, but they had managed to find a shaded bench within the park to sit down and use.

"Okay, I can handle this for now!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, turning to Aurora, who was next to her. "Have you had ice cream before?"

The girl nodded. "A little, lady Lu has given us some before. I think it was vanilla. It was sweet, and cold."

Ruby smiled. "What if you had some right now?"

Aurora was instantly enticed. "May I?"

Ruby looked at Azura, and he knew exactly what was going to happen.

"Is there an ice cream shop nearby?" He said, a sigh coming out.

Ruby's grin grew. "Yes, just go back the way that we came, it's right outside the park."

"Gotcha. I'll be back, Aurora. Be good for Ruby, okay?"

"Okay." The girl said, looking to be lost within the sweatshirt.

He started to walk off, making a final callout. "Help Aurora find herself in the sweatshirt, will you? I'll be back in a bit."

Luna and Summer trailed after him silently, letting the calming part of the day stay that way. Azura had yet another thing to feel grateful for in regards to Ruby, this part of the city was just perfect, and it wasn't even that far from where they came from.

After finding the little shop that he was tasked to get ice cream from, and buying two bowls of ice cream, one bowl for vanilla ice cream, and the other was larger and filled with strawberry ice cream. He would have gotten some for himself, but he didn't want to juggle it all the way there.

"So, it seems that my little Rose is prepared for this occasion. Isn't she just wonderful?" Summer said, almost gloating.

"Whatever you say. The more time I spend with you, the more I see just how different the two of you are." Azura said, rolling his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Summer said, drawing her question out in a complaining fashion.

"I have no idea what it's supposed to mean." azura said, playing the fool for a moment before becoming more serious. "You don't mind if it's just me, Ruby, and Aurora, right? You don't need to go away, just give us some distance, you know?"

Summer pouted jokingly. "And have me and Luna have to be all alone?" She said, before laughing and answering more seriously. "Yeah, that's fine. Just don't go do something crazy without the adults, you hear?"

Azura laughed shortly, before catching sight of Ruby and Aurora on the bench. The hood of his sweatshirt was down, but it looked like she wasn't all that bothered by the sun, staying in the shade that they were in. Ruby had somehow pulled a book out, and he wasn't exactly sure where she kept that on her person, and seemed to be currently reading for Aurora.

The red prodigy stopped midway, staring him down like she was a predator about to catch her prey, feeling scared before realizing that she had somehow figured out that he got strawberry ice cream for her. She had some sort of sixth sense for her favorite foods, and it was quite possibly the most terrifying part of the girl.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You're the best friend I could ask for, but not as great as Weiss, since she is the best partner, but at this point I have to wonder if she would have gotten me ice cream of this caliber and man-" She said rapidly, only stopping when he held the bowl out to her.

"Stop talking before you scare people away." He said with a laugh, watching her take it with both hands.

He did the same thing for Aurora, who muttered a small thank you to him. Seeing that Ruby was distracted by the ice cream, he grabbed the book from her lap, seeing that it was a book of fairy tales. He smiled, this was just the kind of book he was expecting Ruby to have been holding on to.

"You want me to read this with you?" He asked.

Aurora nodded. "Yes please."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

After seemingly falling asleep on top of each other with Aurora in the middle and stumbling around after waking up, bringing Aurora back to the orphanage, promising to see her again soon, and finally making it back to Beacon in time for dinner in the mess hall, Azura and Ruby were exhausted.

"That was a lot of fun. Aurora is just...so...adorable!" Ruby said, a tired smile on her face.

Yeah, that's true. Should I assume that you would want to join me again then?" Azura asked.

"You betcha! Well, thanks for joining me this morning and letting me join you this afternoon. It was a memorable day!" Ruby said, smile on her face.

She turned around, flying off with her semblance.

"So much for being exhausted." Azura said.

He watched her leave as he, Luna, and Summer stood there, the setting sun behind them. He just hoped that she had the energy for the next few days, since it looked like Blake and Weiss were at each other's throats. He just hoped that their arguments eventually got resolved.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 25th**

**Tuesday**

**Clear**

The warmth of the afternoon sun and the heat of the day was annoying to Azura, but sadly, his private area to train was only given so much shade from the trees. At first, Summer had teased him over the fact that ghosts couldn't get sunburn, but they have now been training silently for three hours.

Azura had to admit, it was nice to be in a peaceful silence, meditating and trying to work on being able to choose who becomes visible between Luna and Summer, and it barely tired him out beyond mental concentration and slowly draining his aura, seeing as he was testing out how they could manage to do such a task.

At Summer's suggestion, they decided to see what it looked like when he was trying to sense aura. As usual, Luna was visible and patiently waiting, her fox ears on alert. Summer was starting to become more visible, but stayed as an outline, but he could see her reading the journal that Ozpin gave him.

"Alright, I think that's enough for now. You have to take a look at this." Summer said.

Azura stopped his aura and opened his eyes, looking over to see Summer looking at a specific page. When Azura moved over to sit next to Summer, he saw what she was talking about. It was an entire page about souls, similar to the other one that he had found, but this one was on the last page.

_ 'I have spent a very, very long time studying the soul. What causes it? Why can it bring out a defense mechanism like aura? Why does it form a semblance? These are only a few of the questions that I have dedicated myself for years upon years to answer, yet I feel like I have still not found a concrete answer._

_ However, I do have an answer to one question. A soul bond is a very specific occurrence, one that must meet three requirements. The death of one person, the start of another, and a full willingness to take on what they have done. But, even with an answer to this question, I continue to be confused. What do these requirements truly mean? Alas, this is the end of the journal. I shall write this now, to remind myself to get a new one.'_

"The confusion of who wrote this page is confusing me even more. The death of one person requires the start of another? A willingness to take on what they have done?" Azura asked, frowning as he thought aloud.

"It certainly makes it seem like it requires two living partners, and for one of them to die. But, it's odd. It's described in a way that would seem to say that one of them all but vanish from the world, while the other takes over everything." Summer said, voicing her own thoughts.

Azura sighed. "Still, I wonder if that's the only way for it to work."

"I know what you are thinking, and my answer is no." Summer said, giving him a glance.

"But something like this might be the start of something greater!" Azura replied.

Summer sighed. "I do not know what you think you could do with this, but not only are you not thinking of the consequences of this, it is still much to dangerous to even consider. You could be falling straight into a horrible situation from this!"

"Yeah, you have a point. It's just...what if I could do something more with it? Who's to say what happens to others if my semblance is used as a middle ground?"

Summer frowned. "It could also just be a trap. Azura, you know how little I trust Ozpin."

Azura blinked. Despite his lack of trust for most people beyond Luna and Summer, he hadn't even considered what Ozpin could want from him having this journal.

Maybe one day, if he ever had the courage, he would ask Ozpin what he truly had planned for the students of this school. Was it possible that Ozpin was actually aiming for something beyond training the students to become hunters or huntresses?

"Well, care to join me in the library while I do homework? Not like you guys have much more interesting things to do." Azura said, getting back up and stretching.

"Not my fault that ghosts have nothing better to do. Besides, you could use me for information. What's it about this time? History of Atlas? Why Ursas migrate the way that they do?" Summer asked.

Azura laughed, letting the dark thoughts leave his mind for now.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 27th**

**Thursday**

**Cloudy**

"So, the guy that we saw running around a few days ago was Sun Wukong?"

Blake nodded. "That's what he told me."

"Did he tell you why he was being a stowaway?" Azura asked, raising an eyebrow as he wondered why Blake decided to drag him to the library to tell him.

"He supposedly wanted to get to Beacon before his team did. Something about a bet. I told him that he was crazy." Blake said, putting a hand to her chin as she leaned back in her chair.

Azura chuckled. "That's because it is crazy. I guess he's exploring Beacon at the moment. Don't blame him, this place is almost stupidly large."

A moment of silence stretched out between them. As usual, Azura was the one to break it.

"So, tell me why I'm actually here."

Blake sighed, tapped her fingers against her chin, and shifted to lean closer to him across the table, matching his current position of having his arms on the table.

"I want your opinion on something." She said.

As usual, he had to ask for elaboration.

"On what?" He asked, raising a hand to ask for more.

Blake sighed again. "What do you think of the White Fang?"

Azura figured that would be the question. Blake and Weiss have been going at each other a lot over the past few days. "That's...a loaded question. I think that the White Fang, misguided or not, aren't inherently evil. But, I cannot say that they aren't doing bad things in recent years. At one point, they were doing it peacefully and without force. And it was working...but very slowly. And now, they fight with crimes and violence. I cannot agree with that part. We are all supposed to be working together to stop the Grimm. They are a bigger threat than anything else."

Blake was silent as she listened to him. He waited for her to organize her thoughts as he thought of his own words. In the end, he felt like he had said what he really felt about the White Fang.

"You have a good point, but to say that the entire White Fang group are criminals? That feels wrong."

Azura nodded. "You're right, not every single one of them are criminals. And, since Weiss isn't here, I'll ask you something for her. Have you thought about it from her perspective?"

She scoffed. "What perspective? She wouldn't understand what it's like to be hated. She's a Schnee. Born with everything, living to gain everything, and will die upon a mountain of riches."

Azura sighed. "Maybe she isn't just one thing? Have you ever taken the time to try to get to know her?"

"No, and I would rather not know her. She's playing all of her cards, and it's not like Ruby or Yang are doing anything. It's like I'm backed into a corner, unable to take any action."

Azura leaned forward, resting a hand on her arm. "Just take some time to think, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks for talking with me."

He just smiled, leaning back down in his chair. He reopened the book he had left unattended as they spoke. He had forgotten that he had even brought it with him. He would leave Blake with her thoughts, happy that he was able to help.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**June 28th**

**Friday**

**Clear**

This wasn't the first time Azura had been in the JNPR dorm in a week, but the atmosphere of the room felt different on this moonlit night. More open, cleaner.

Seeing Blake and Weiss slowly tearing team RWBY apart, it was easy for Azura to let go of any of the petty anger that he felt. Clearly, everyone else felt the same. Everyone on team JNPR was discussing something as he came in, but Azura wasn't sure exactly what.

"Welcome back." Pyra said.

Azura looked over everyone, moving forward and letting the door close behind him. "I think...I think we all agree that we have to talk."

Jaune stepped forward. "That's what we were discussing just as you came in."

"I see. Well, I'll start it off. I am very sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me a week ago. I was angry, and frustrated that it felt like I wasn't able to talk to other people. But, I didn't stop to consider the fact that I have been doing more and more training by myself. You have to understand that I am in a delicate situation because of my semblance, but I also understand how frustrating it must have been with how I acted." Azura said, staying in his place in front of the door, looking downward.

A few seconds of hearing feet move towards him made him look up, seeing that Pyrrha had made her way towards him.

"I wanted to be the one to apologize to you, so I'll just say it now. I'm...just so terribly sorry for how selfish I was. I was just scared to see our team fall apart. It's only been a few months, but I think you guys are like family to me." She said, her voice starting to have emotion creep in. "I didn't want to lose that, so I snapped at you, I got angry. I let my fear take over and cloud my judgement, just like when Jaune was being blackmailed."

She stood there, looking ashamed of herself, so Azura did what he felt was necessary. He walked over to her, grabbed her hands, and met her green eyes as she snapped her head up to meet his own yellow eyes.

"And look at what happened because of it. Jaune is becoming a more capable fighter with each passing day, a more confident leader. We all grew a little because of the conflict. Pyrrha, it's not that friends cannot argue and fight like we do. It's not about being perfect friends who never disagree. It's about moving past those opinions and still being their friend, about mending any arguments that happen. I know I never thought any less of you while I avoided you, even I might have wanted the space."

Pyrrha let go of his hands to reach forward and hug him. "Thank you, Azura."

Azura smiled, accepting the hug. A body suddenly latched onto the two of them, Nora yelling out in glee as she joined them.

"Group hug!"

As everyone joined in, Pyrrha laughed against Azura's chest. Azura laughed as well, once Jaune was the last one to join in.

The blonde teen was smiling. "I love you guys."

Nora might have been the only one to reply back to him, but Azura felt that everyone felt the same. He hoped that Blake and Weiss would be able to make up with each other like everyone on team JNPR was currently doing.

"No!" A voice cried out from across the walls, sounding angry. It was Weiss.

Or not.

Azura broke off from the hug, moving back towards the door.

"The White Fang are a bunch of liars! Pillagers! Murderers!"

He opened the door swiftly, now worried about where this would be going. He knew very little of Blake or her history with the White Fang beyond the very little she had told him, but maybe he could stop this argument. However, he was stopped right at the door by what was yelled out by Blake.

"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

That was not good. Blake had just revealed herself to them. And at the worst possible reigned the entire area between RWBY's dorm and JNPR's dorm. He took a glance back at his team, and he could see the shock on their faces as they began to realize what that meant. This was turning from bad to worse.

The door to team RWBY finally opened, revealing a Blake that looked beyond terrified. She was shaking and he could see the fear within her amber eyes. It only took a second, but the next thing he knew was that he was being dragged with Blake, who had grabbed his wrist and ran down the hall.

As he finally caught back up to speed and wasn't stumbling, he turned around to see that the only people coming after them was Luna and Summer, who were looking to join him more than to stop him, if he could guess.

They stopped in the central courtyard, where a statue of a male Human and female Faunus stood on a stone. A Beowulf major was below them, looking like it was roaring. He understood why Blake had stopped in front of this statue in the moment that she let go of his wrist. This is exactly the kind of idea that Blake had in mind. No Human or Faunus stood there as they faced the Grimm. They were of the same cloth, both people that were fighting against the true threat, Grimm.

She reached up for her ribbon, and Azura watched as she did so. He had already seen her take the ribbon off, but it felt different than last time. Like it signified a change in Blake. As her cat ears were freed to the open air, a voice spoke behind them.

"Well, this isn't what I expected from a walk at night. You look better with the ears out, you know."

"Sun?" Blake said, surprised.

"You two looking for a way out of Beacon right now? Follow me if you do, I have a secret path that got me here. Sun said, smiling like a fool.

"Technically, it's 'you four', but whatever." Summer said, almost killing the entire mood.

Azura didn't comment.

"...I am looking for a way out." Blake said, sounding ashamed by the idea.

She looked over at him, asking him the silent question of what he wanted to do.

He breathed out heavily, contemplating the idea. On one hand, he would be able to stay with everyone else. On the other hand, he had the chance to stay with her and maybe even help to convince her to go back.

"Well, let's get going. Lead the way, Sun."

He just hoped everyone trusted him enough to see that he would do what he needed to get Blake to go back to them.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**I'd like to think that I met my own expectations with this chapter, but I hope that you at least liked what I have written. The events of volume one are coming to a climax, but we shall see how it goes down with Azura being thrown in the mix.**

**I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, have a nice day/evening!**


	14. More Than What Meets The Eye

**And...here...we...go. I'd say that the part with Blake and Sun is kinda rushed through, but honestly, it just made sense to not go through each and every day for this. When I was planning it out, it kind of bored me, so I decided to not do that.**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 14: More Than What Meets The Eye**

**.**

**.(Starting Chapter)**

**.**

**June 29th**

**Saturday**

**Cloudy**

Azura felt odd as he sat at the outdoor cafe table with Blake and Sun. He sipped at his cup of coffee as Blake and Sun discussed things over, and he wasn't even able to be on his scroll after finding out that he had left it in the JNPR dorm. Summer and Luna were currently keeping an eye out in case team RWBY or JNPR found them. Well, he assumed that they would be looking for them.

"Say...Sun. What do you think of the White Fang?" Blake asked, looking at Azura for a moment before looking back at him.

Sun set his cup down, flicking his tail back upwards as he did so. "What I think of them? As far as I know, they resort to violence and outrage to get their answer across that Faunus are equals as well. Kinda hard to argue that when all they do is fight and threaten, if you want my opinion."

Blake frowned. "I'm a part of the White Fang. Or, I was. Back when they were peacefully protesting."

Sun leaned forward. "What changed?"

"I don't know what specifically changed, but it caused a shift in how things were run, and eventually, all of the old principles were over. It was when…" Blake said, trailing off.

Wisely, nobody asked her to finish her statement.

"So, what are we going to do? You ran away, but we can't all do that forever." Sun said, nodding his head to Azura.

Azura agreed, but didn't say anything.

"I don't quite believe that the White Fang have anything to do with the dust robberies that have been happening. But, I'm quite unsure of where to start with trying to prove that they might not be involved." Blake said.

"What would that solve? Whether or not they are involved in the dust robberies means nothing. They have never needed that much dust, right?" Sun asked, confusion written on his face.

Blake sighed. "Well, there's a good chance that they might need it, but I can't see them doing it the way that they are. It's something that Torchwick would do, from what I know about the criminal, but why would they work with him? I just don't understand it."

Azura finally spoke up. "We don't know if they are working together though. Why don't we go over what we do know?"

Blake nodded. "I'll go first if that's what we're going to do." She looked around, leaning forward once she saw that no one was nearby. "As it stands, the dust robberies have been happening over the past few months, and only the dust is stolen. Nothing else is touched, but all of the dust in the stores are stolen, leaving nothing behind but money. The owners are only harmed by getting knocked out, and the police always just happen to miss the mark, suggesting that they get in and out with speed."

"It'll be hard to find anything out if that's the case. Given what you know, they are good enough to escape the notice of the police for the most part. If they are skilled enough to do that, it suggests trained fighters and possibly aura. Unless the White Fang are trained to fight, I doubt that they are involved." Azura said.

Blake tapped her fingers against the table. "Trained? Yeah, for self-defense, but it's possible that things...have changed since I was last with them. Still doesn't prove that the White Fang had anything to do with the robberies though."

"Well, if that's all we have…" Sun said, his tone sounding smug.

Blake narrowed her eyes towards him. "Spill it, Sun. I don't want to play your game right now."

"Well, while I was out on that boat that brought me here, I heard talk of a shipment of dust coming in to offset the losses that the main city of Vale was facing. Do ya think they would know about that?"

Blake thought for a moment before responding. "It's possible. Did they say how large of a shipment it would end up being?"

Sun brought his blonde monkey tail up to his chin. "Hmm, I remember them saying that it would be from the Schnee Dust Company, so I would assume very large. Larger than what is usually brought in."

"No dates at all?" Blake asked.

"For when it would be in? I don't think so." Sun responded.

"Damn it. That would have been perfect for us to use. If I want any information about if the White Fang are involved or not, that would have been it." Blake said, annoyance in her voice.

Azura spoke up again, an idea forming in his mind. "What if we could find out when the shipment would be coming in?"

Blake looked over at him. "You sound like you have something in mind.

"You ever heard of Junior's club?" Azura asked, a smile growing on his face.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The club was open, but Azura didn't think he would be finding the same kind of environment as last time. He walked in, finding it to mostly be empty, except for Junior, who was cleaning some glasses behind the bar. The larger man looked up as Azura approached with Blake and Sun in tow, not looking at all shocked to see them, but his eyes did linger on Sun.

"Well, I know that the two of ya are up to something shady. Blondie made sure to stop by and tell me to keep an eye out for you." He said.

Luna was behind junior in an instant, ready to move if Azura activated his semblance. He didn't want them to be found out. Not with Blake as she is right now.

"Well, what Yang doesn't know won't hurt you, now will it?" Azura asked.

Junior licked his lips, looking nervous. "You can be just like her when you want to, you know. No, she won't find out." He sighed. "Why are you here?"

Azura looked towards Blake and Sun, then looked back at Junior as he approached the bar. "We need info on something."

"Can't say anything if you don't tell me anything." Junior said, putting the glass down.

"How about information on the Schnee cargo ship full of dust coming in?"

Junior narrowed his eyes, looking around the building before leaning forward. "Oddly specific info that you're looking for. What's your game, kid?"

Azura looked back, seeing that Blake and Sun were looking at him. "It's for recon. I think you know what exactly for."

"And why shouldn't I just get you caught? You don't know the thin ice you are on in here."

Azura hoped his next words would change his mind. "It would suck if a certain bowler hat criminal were to...suddenly find out that you're not working just for him and his crew."

It was a bluff, and he thought that Junior knew that as well. But, as it turned out, it seemed that Junior was more amused than anything.

"You got a fire in your heart, kid. I like that, even if it's a bit dangerous to try your luck against an info broker." Junior said, laughing.

Azura didn't know what to say, and Luna stayed in her position, floating behind him.

"Relax kid, you're safe. I wouldn't sell out a minor like that, it's not my line of work. Still, I have to ask, why do you need to know about that specific information?" Junior said, returning back to his more serious attitude.

Azura looked over at Blake and Sun, who has been listening to the conversation. Blake nodded to give him the okay, and he turned back to Junior.

"It's for an...um, investigation. That specific cargo ship would be exactly what we need, but we don't know when it comes in. It would cause problems to not have the details over it."

Junior sighed. "Then, you already know of what you might find there?"

Azura nodded. "Yeah. Can you help us?"

Junior stared at Azura for a few moments, as if wondering if giving the information would even be a good idea. After a few moments, he broke the silence.

"Alright, fine. Look, if anything goes wrong, it isn't my fault. You got that?"

Azura nodded again. "Yeah, I understand. We don't plan on being stupid about it, I promise."

"If you say so, kid. The shipment is coming in on the fifth of July, at seven at night. I'd keep an eye on it for a few hours after the fact, but that's just my advice. Maybe go after a half hour passes, you hear." Junior said, looking genuinely concerned.

Azura smiled, willing to trust him enough to follow the advice. "That's perfect, thank you. We should really be going, though."

"Wait up, kid. You better stay low if you want to do something like this. It might not be the most crazy thing, but it's better to stay off the radar. You three can stay here, if you'd like. We have some back rooms for this stuff, but it's usually only used for our needs."

Azura considered it, but shook his head. "I'll ask everyone else. Can you give us five minutes?"

Junior smirked. "Course you can, kid. Take your time."

Azura moved back to Blake and Sun, Luna trailing slowly behind him, while Summer remained by the door.

"So, what do you guys think? I'm sure you guys heard what was said." Azura said, wanting their thoughts.

Sun smiled openly. "I think it would be the perfect way to think it over and get an idea of what the place will look like. If this guy is trustworthy, which he seems like he is, I think it will work."

Blake was hesitant. "Are you sure he won't do anything to us? This is all sorts of shady. I'd rather stay on the streets."

"Think of it like this. We're training to huntsmen, we would kick their butts if they tried anything. Plus, we can just stay together while we're here." Sun said, trying to coax her into agreeing with him.

"He has a point. Plus, remember what my semblance entails. We'll be fine." Azura said.

Blake frowned, sighing as she crossed her arms. "I don't like it, but you both have a point. Fine. I'll trust you guys to be as cautious as I am."

"Of course we will! Who do you think we are?" Sun said.

Azura cut in, elbowing him in the chest. "We will be careful. Right, Sun?"

"O-of course!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

They all approached Junior, with Azura in the lead.

"We agreed that we would take your offer up. However, we want to stick to one room." Azura said.

Junior nodded. "Smart. Militia will show you to where you can stay."

"Wait, Militia is around? I didn't even see her." Azura said, surprised.

"Of course you wouldn't, pretty boy. You miss me?" She said, her sharp eyes on his softer yellow.

"Who wouldn't miss those green eyes? It's quite the impression, you know."

"You try, at least. Not very good at hitting on someone, are you?" She said, a smirk on her face.

"Hey, you were the one to pin me to a wall!" Azura said, playful smile on his face.

Militia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, to make sure you didn't do something stupid."

"Don't you have a room to show us to?" Azura asked, to get her to shut up.

"You don't deny it." She said, dragging it out in a singsong voice.

The back rooms of the club were certainly different compared to the dance floor that one would see upon entering the club. It looked drab and dull, and there wasn't much to look at as Azura looked around. They didn't have to go very far, taking a left about a quarter of the way down the main hall, stopping at the end of the side hall, where a simple white door was.

Once Militia opened the door, they saw a room with the same white walls, and a small window opposite of them. Beyond that, there were two beds that were against the wall to the right. The room was devoid of anything else, leaving it looking empty. A small light was overhead, with a switch to turn it on and off if they needed to.

"Well, I'll leave you three to it. Just remember, don't come to the main floor during the nights that you are here, don't cause trouble for Junior, and do nothing dumb. Got it?"

They all nodded, agreeing to the rules that Militia set. They were fair enough. She left the three of them to themselves after that, closing the door behind her.

"Well, I guess this is where we'll be staying for the next few days. Better get comfortable, you two. We haven't gotten any sleep, since, you know…" Sun said, trailing off.

"I can stay up and keep a lookout." Blake said.

"No need. The ghosts can keep watch for us." Azura said.

"Ghosts?" Sun asked.

Blake gave a short laugh. "It's a long story. Don't worry about it. And I will trust Azura on this one."

"Glad you think so."

"I'm stuck with the weirdest people I know. But, I'm beat, so whatever." Sun said, jumping on one of the beds. He was out cold within a few moments.

Azura laughed quietly at the sight.

Blake sat down on the other bed with a sigh. "Azura?"

"Yes, Blake?"

"If...no, never mind. It's nothing." She said, looking away.

"Does it have to do with our teams?" He asked.

Blake was silent for a moment before answering. "Yeah. Do you think they would be mad?"

Azura rolled his eyes. "Of course they would be. But, probably not for the reasons that you think."

"What else could it be? I revealed myself to be part of a group that isn't well-liked. They must hate me…" Blake said.

Azura moved to be in front of her, crouching down to see her amber eyes. "Blake...they don't hate you. And even if they did, I would make them understand. You trusted me enough to drag me along with you. Trust me again."

Blake was silent, but a smile eventually grew on her face. "Okay." She said softly.

They shared a few moments of silence, with Azura feeling like he had said the right thing. Blake eventually spoke again, once Azura stood back up.

"Well, you can take the bed that Sun is in." Blake said.

"Yeah, that works. Just get some sleep." He responded.

Azura looked over at Summer and Luna, who nodded to his silent question, already aware that they would keep watch. Azura was glad that his semblance had little uses like this.

But, as he laid down on the open spot on the bed with Sun, he felt happiness that he had managed to penetrate Blake's shell, and see a little piece of the person she really was.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**July 4th**

**Thursday**

**Clear**

It was the day before the dust shipment came in, and Azura was nervous. They all were, even if Sun tried to be energetic for them. It was hard not to be nervous, for several reasons. It was technically trespassing where they would be in the docks, and getting caught was his biggest worry. If he had to guess, Sun was nervous in the sense of getting on stage for a performance would be, getting all jittery as it grew closer.

And Blake? Well, that was obvious to everyone. She was nervous about the possibility of the White Fang being part of all of this. Azura couldn't blame her, he would be as nervous as her if he was in her position. It's not exactly a good feeling to think that a group that you were once part of could also be involved in a series of crimes.

Junior, the kind person that he was, made sure to keep their position a secret from anyone. Team RWBY or JNPR have not barged in, looking for them, and no Beacon staff was sent out to look for them, as far as he knew.

Did Ozpin even notice their absence?

Azura was broken out of his thoughts by Summer nudging him on the shoulder. He snapped his head up, finding that Blake was looking at him expectantly.

"She asked you if you were okay to discuss the plan for tomorrow." Summer said.

Azura, finally caught up with what was happening, responded to Blake. "Uh, yeah."

Sun smiled and stretched. "Alright, let's get started!"

"Well, we have everything except for what we are doing while we are there and what we will do with that information." Azura said.

Blake nodded. "I've been thinking about what we would do, depending on what we find there."

Sun tilted his head. "That seems simple enough. How many scenarios were you thinking could happen?"

"Up to three."

"Alright, let's break it down from there. What are you thinking?" Sun asked.

Blake cleared her throat before starting. "Well, the first one that I was thinking of was that we would end up not finding anything at all. There's a chance that it's actually just a small group of criminals that are trying to get big. They wouldn't go after such a large shipment unless they were crazy."

"That could be." Sun said.

"It would make sense, but it seems unlikely. Why would they only steal dust?" Azura asked, skeptical of such a ragtag group being able to pull this off.

"I suppose. We're only going to be scouting the place out for any evidence, so this is the best case scenario." Blake responded.

"True. What's the next scenario you were thinking might happen?" Azura asked, moving on.

"The same thing as the first one, but with Roman Torchwick. It's quite possible that he enlisted the help of a group of criminals. Offered them something to get them to steal the dust for him. That runs the risk of us finding people there."

Sun laughed. "From what I know of the guy, which is very little, he probably would do that. He looks like the kind of guy who would do such a thing."

Blake rolled her eyes. "True enough. Well, there is one more thing that could happen. As much as I...don't want to think of it. The White Fang could be the ones doing all of this. And if they were to be doing it…" She trailed off.

"They would go for the big shipment tomorrow night." Sun finished for her.

"Yeah."

There was a few minutes of silence for all of them to think it over. Azura certainly felt that they would find something there. It was too suspicious, and Junior certainly dropped enough hints to suggest that something would happen. It would make sense for it to involve the Torchwick guy as well, if he was correct in assuming that Junior was involved with him.

"No matter what we do or do not find there, we need to have a plan for what we will be doing while there. What's our game plan for that? I want to make sure we have something that could work for any scenario that we end up thinking about." Azura said, drawing Blake out of her pensive look.

"Well, I have an idea. The docks are surrounded by a few storage areas and warehouses, so it would be best to stay on top of one of the warehouses, specifically the one that would be closest to our escape route if we need one. We would be able to stay hidden and safe, while also being able to see what would be happening." Blake said.

"That works, but what if we see people trying to steal the dust? We can't just let them get away with it." Azura said.

"What about scrolls? We could call the police." Blake suggested.

"We don't have ours. How about you, Sun?" Azura asked, looking over at the blonde boy.

"Yeah, I have mine. We could leave an anonymous call and hope that they come over." He said.

Azura nodded. "That's perfect. And Blake? Just remember that we are here to find something out, not to pick a fight."

Blake nodded, but gave no answer.

"Well, I'm starving, and I think Junior said that it was safe to come to the kitchens at the moment. You guys want to come with?" Sun asked.

"Sounds good. We have to have energy for tomorrow, so we should sleep soon. Azura?"

As Azura went to answer, he saw Summer to the side, shaking her head no. Maybe she wanted to talk about something?

"No, you guys go on ahead. I'll join you in a bit, ok?"

Sun was quick to drag Blake out with him. "Alright, have fun!"

He waited for their footsteps to quiet and move away from the closed door before speaking to Summer.

"Did you need to talk to me about something?" He asked.

Summer sighed, then nodded. "I do. It's important."

"Well, tell me what's on your mind."

"It has to do with what we are doing tomorrow. I'm sure that you have safety in mind, but I want you to consider what the worst case scenario holds in store. Let's say that the White Fang are involved in this. They would send in a large amount of people, many of which would most likely be trained." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't mean to be that person, but they are clearly a more radical and violent group than they have ever been. Even with two actual huntresses on your side, how useful can we be if you get knocked out? Assuming that they don't kill you instantly, I'm willing to bet that they would have precautions to stop your semblance."

Azura certainly didn't think of such a situation, but it certainly scared him.

"I'll be careful, Summer. I promise." He said.

Summer looked him over for a few moments before responding. "Good. I just want you to know that despite your semblance having a decently large radius, that doesn't mean that we can be everywhere at once. Like I told you before, I don't want anyone else to die while I can help it. No, I refuse for it to happen."

"Right. I know that. I'll try to stop myself and the others from doing something dumb, okay?"

"Good. I don't want one of you guys to die for this. Well, I guess we'll see what kind of situation we find ourselves in tomorrow, yeah?" Sumer said, a joking tone returning to her voice.

Azura smiled weakly. "Yeah. Hopefully nothing major."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**July 5th**

**Friday**

**Clear**

"Waterfront in front of us, warehouse on the right and left, and this building is our escape route." Blake said, crouched and looking out over the docks, where massive piles of metal container units were stacked next to each other.

That was the sixth time she had said it in the past hour, but neither Sun or Azura stopped her.

The center of the area below was completely open and currently empty, with the Schnee logo and name on the crates on each side. They set up their outlook slightly after 7:30 PM, and have been looking over it for the past two hours. So far, no movement had been spotted.

"Man, this is the worst part of the entire night. So boring!" Sun complained.

"You wanted to be here." Azura commented as he watched Blake continue to keep an eye over everything.

"Is this the cost for an adventure?" He asked with a sigh.

Azura chuckled. "I'd rather not see anything happen, but I'm not sure about you."

"Shut up, you two. We have to keep quiet." Blake said, her ears twitching, covered by the bow once more.

The next ten minutes were spent in silence. Sun kept an eye out behind them, just in case someone saw them and tried to stop them. Blake was keeping her eyes exactly where they have been for the past two hours, while Azura made sure to try and cover any spots she might not see.

Just as Azura thought they might have lucked out, three small airships come in for a landing within the center path of the docks.

"Damn." He said. "Sun!"

Sun turned around, moving to be next to him.

The blonde frowned. "I guess we'll get our answer."

Blake remained silent, but her cat ears were flicking nervously. Summer and Luna were next to Azura, looks of caution on their faces.

The three airships opened up, revealing three groups of twenty or so White Fang members. They all came out and starting to scout out the area in a radius, clearly making sure that no one was around.

Now that Azura thought about it, where were the guards? They had been in the warehouses, last he saw, but did they not see the airships come in? Did they not hear it?

Something was wrong.

"Get going, you mutts! We don't have all night!" A voice called out, and Azura frowned deeply as he saw Roman Torchwick come out.

Azura just saw it get worse.

"That is very not good." He said.

"Why is Roman Torchwick with them? Why is he ordering them around?" Blake said in disbelief.

No one had an answer to that question.

"No. There has to be an answer!" Blake said, suddenly standing up.

"Wha-Blake!" Sun cried out as she jumped off the building towards the nearby storage container, running along the colorful Schnee dust containers.

Azura was in shock by the random actions by Blake. They all quickly spun into action after a few moments.

"Sun, go after her! I'll send backup and go on the right side. We can pincer them from there!" Azura said, giving quick orders to the boy.

He nodded, following his orders to a T. Azura watched him for a moment before turning to Summer and Luna.

"We're going to be going on the right. I want the two of you to support Blake if she does something crazy, which she will. I'll activate my semblance, then jump down shortly after you. Got it?"

Luna nodded.

"Let's go." Summer said.

As they jumped on to the nearby crate on the right, Azura could see that Sun was sitting by the edge of the crate nearest to Roman. Once Azura was about halfway along the crates, he saw why Sun was waiting.

Blake was holding Roman as a hostage, Gambol Shroud to his throat. She was surrounded by each and every single White Fang member that came here, and she was calling out to them.

"You don't have to be doing this! Why are you working for this man?!"

Roman chuckled. "Now, that just isn't nice. I think you are overlooking something, lady."

Blake held her grip. "What?"

"We're working together on a little joint operation. What can I say, we had similar interests." He said.

He quickly drew his cane, suddenly shooting out volatile fire dust. It exploded, throwing Roman and Blake away. Roman recovered quickly, shooting more fire dust out towards her. Blake dodged, throwing her semblance out to dodge any of the dangerously close shots.

She quickly came to blows with White Fang members, who were attempting to overwhelm her. Just as it seemed that she would fall down on the ground, Sun jumped into the fray, knocking three of them down to the ground.

"Now, don't you think you guys are being unfair?" He asked.

As they came back to rush him, he suddenly summoned three golden versions of himself, all of which were fighting with him. Azura didn't have time to look at the spectacle as he moved back into motion.

"Go ahead of me! You have to help them out!" He called out to Summer and Luna.

Luna quickly jumped off of the crate, boosting in the air towards them. Summer stayed on the crates, speeding ahead with her own version of the speed and roses that Ruby had. They were red and white in color, marking itself as the only difference in semblances between them. Was that also hereditary?

As Azura followed after her, he saw her vanish from the air about thirty feet ahead of him. He shook his thoughts out of his head, suddenly suspicious of what was happening. It was almost like some illusion had been casted.

Azura had no time to ponder what exactly was occurring, suddenly flying off the side of the crates, like he had just been kicked in the chest, as the sound of glass shattering rang in his ears. He focused some aura into his feet, flipping back onto them as he hit the ground. He spun around, blades at the ready as he did so, seeing a small and petite girl in front of him.

She was standing there, twirling an open parasol that rested on her shoulder, a smirk on her face. She had pink and brown hair, and a streak of white within the pink. It reminded him of Neapolitan ice cream. Her outfit was very much the same, with a white jacket that had pink on it's interior, brown pants, white knee-high boots, and a brown corset that partially revealed her hips.

It only took a second for Azura to take in her outfit before she leapt forward, slashing towards him with a visible knife at the top of the parasol, now closed. He raised his dagger to block, having to twist away at the surprising amount of force she had with it.

He had little time to register the sounds of gunfire and explosions, or even the sound of a massive weight crashing with more explosions going off. The little girl that reminded him of ice cream was continuing her assault, forcing him to keep his full attention on her. It felt weird to have a parasol whacking at him, but he had no time to keep the thought.

As he kept playing defensive, the girl kicked out towards, spinning on the ball of her other foot as she hit him. He was sent sliding into the wall, grunting as it hit him. He pushed off of it, shooting ice dust out of Rose Eye, only to see her easily dodge them.

"I think you'll make me hate ice cream." He commented.

She made no response. Azura raced back into the fight, slashing out towards her with Red Fox, the longer blade just barely nicking her aura. He spun into the air on the spot, bringing Rose Eye down, only to be blocked by the parasol. He attempted to swing towards her feet with Red Fox, to which she backflipped away from, raising her foot high and slapping Rose Eye out of his left hand, the dagger flying high and disappearing behind the stack of metal containers.

He swiftly turned back around, seeing the girl standing there, the same smug look on her face. It was starting to annoy him. He dashed forward, meaning to attack her, only for her to crack and shatter like glass, just like what happened above. It was her semblance that did that!

The slash of the knife on the parasol caught him off guard, his aura not active from the shock of being tricked. He was quickly kicked back once more, sliding on the ground from the impact. He felt blood trickle down his cheek to his chin, now forcing his aura to remain active. Any more mistakes might actually kill him, and he knew that this opponent was barely trying, so he had to focus more than he ever had to at this moment.

Moving like a whirlwind, he increased his speed as much as he could, matching the girl blow for blow. He held Red Fox in both hands, measuring his every move to make sure he did not lose this weapon as well. He dodged to the side, now seeing how she was opening the parasol as a counterattack. He slashed forward, slamming right into her side, the pink aura flashing. The girl dodged back and away from him, and when he saw her face, he saw that the playful smirk was replaced with a frown.

She was clearly frustrated by the fact that he managed to land a solid blow on her. He never knew how much he preferred the smug smirk that annoyed him until he saw her angry. He would totally never look at Neapolitan ice cream the same after this.

Instantly, it was like she vanished in a flash. As Azura looked around himself, he suddenly saw three Neos running towards him. He hopped back slashing out in front of him, all three of them shattering, and he was slammed forward onto the ground from behind. He rolled with the momentum, trying to not allow her to push him into a corner. As he rolled back up, he was slammed by the parasol and sent sliding back into the containers that blocked them from the other side. If his ears weren't ringing, he could have sworn he heard a sniper shot go off.

Just as she shook his head and moved to get up, still stunned, he was slammed back into it. He hissed in pain, blinking the pain away, seeing that the girl was holding him against the crate with her foot. He was unable to move, and his weapon was clearly not in his hand anymore, leaving him grasping at air.

The frown vanished off of her face, replaced by a more sadistic and cruel smile. She pulled a scroll out, and started to type away. She pushed it into his face, for him to see.

"_You're feisty. I like that. It makes it much more enjoyable to break you."_

Less stunned and more in control of his actions, he did the only thing he could.

"Yeah? Fuck you too."

It proved to make her smile grow. It was like she took a sick enjoyment from a weakened opponent staying resilient. She flipped the knife back out of the parasol, dragging it along the aura he kept on his face, stopping to punch him and slam his head back into the container. It dropped his aura enough for her to pierce his shoulder and take it back out.

She looked like she was relishing in his cry of pain, so he bit down on his lip to cut it short. He'd die if he cried out for someone to assist him, so he had to tough it out and think.

Her singular brown eye and other pink eye seemed to glow with delight at his rebellion, her smirk almost turning into a full smile. She started to repeatedly slice at his aura, and he could feel it start to weaken as his rebellion started to turn to panic. It was like he could see the number slowly lowering in his mind.

Thirty percent, twenty seven percent, twenty percent, ten.

He wished that he was stronger, that he could have done more. He hoped that Blake and Sun would be able to run away. He hated the fact that his mother would mourn his death, despite being dead. He hated the fact that Summer would never be able to talk to her own children.

Just once, he wanted to help someone who was alive. To be a hunter that helped those who could not help themselves. To be strong, to be powerful. Powerful enough to slay hordes of Grimm and strong enough to protect those that could not protect themselves.

Then, a cry rang out, and he could barely see Summer running towards him, white and red rose petals flying behind her. He was slammed out of the way as Neo jumped back, and with a sudden flash, and shock stronger than any that he felt resonated throughout his body.

It was like he suddenly had the power of a true warrior, a true hunter. He could feel everything that was going on, like he had suddenly become infused with an otherworldly power. The ice cream girl staring at him in shock. The appearance of an ethereal white cloak, hovering just behind his back and running down to his knees. His hair clashed with the dark red and black, mixing together like a mixture of paint.

And it was like his sight changed, but only in his left eye. It was a feeling of any and all Grimm being below him. A silver eye, an eye that could see all and destroy all.

"Don't worry kid, I got you. Just let me take over."

Hearing Summer's voice almost echo in his head was comforting. It was the last that Azura heard as he succumbed his mind to rest.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character Shift)**

**.**

Summer felt the boy seem to fall into a slumber, somehow knowing that she could wake him later. She felt like a different person, and she was sure that was how he felt as it happened. She had no idea if this was what a soul bond was, or if this was something from Azura's semblance, such as possession.

Whatever it was, she didn't have time to think about it. Their bodies had come together, and Summer was more than willing to go with it for now. She had better things to prioritize for the moment. She looked out over at the small girl, who was still staring at them. The explosions from the orange-haired girl dragging the airships back down as White Fang members attempted to escape were enough to snap her out of it and take a defensive posture.

"You dare to hurt him? Then so be it. You are responsible for what happens next." She said, feeling that her voice held more weight than before.

It was like her own voice was laced with Azura's. It was odd, but Summer was just going with it.

With that, she sped towards the girl, having already picked up Red Fox.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**So, I swear that this makes sense. I'll explain it soon, as well as why there is some inherent knowledge that Summer knows about this, and more that she does not know. Also, sorry for the cliffhanger! It's for the best, I promise.**

**I'll see you next chapter! Hope you have a good day/evening!**


	15. Summer Rose

**Lots of dialogue for this chapter, but this is what wraps up the events of volume one. Not much to say here, but I want to thank those that read this story. It means a lot to me that you at least enjoy it!**

**As I always say, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 15: Summer Rose**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**July 5th (Same day)**

**Friday**

**Clear**

It was odd to fight with only one weapon, especially when a longsword was, well, longer than a dagger. But it also felt right. The sensation was like lightning in her veins, the shock seeming to energize Summer.

Her semblance activated, two-toned petals scattering everywhere, and Red Fox slammed into the parasol of her opponent with more force than what the tri-colored girl had just dealt with. She staggered back, and Summer slashed the blade out in a vertical pattern, hitting the pink aura that came up.

The parasol wielder tried to back off and gain some space, but with her semblance, Summer could easily keep up with the pressure. More petals flew into the air as she caught up to the girl, cutting towards her with a speed that could barely be seen. It was hard for the girl to dodge all of the attacks that Summer was throwing her way.

She was thrown to the ground as Summer seemingly backflipped at random and kicked her in the chin. With a grin, Summer rushed forward once more, slamming a foot down on the short girl's chest, making her gasp as she lost any air in her lungs.

It was a quick and decisive battle, from Summer's perspective. If she had to guess, the girl below her foot had terror running through her mind. If she wasn't a veteran huntress, Summer would have felt bad, but she knew better than to play nice in these situations.

Then, with one last shattering sound, the girl below Summer vanished. She looked up, seeing a singular airship rise into the air and manage to escape the floating daggers that hovered nearby before retracting. Roman's face could be seen, bruised and annoyed, while the small girl was panting and holding her chest. They had managed to escape.

"Damn it." Summer said, under her breath.

She looked down at her, no, Azura's hands. She was relieved that she had managed to save Azura, even if these circumstances were odd, almost unexplainable. Summer shook her head, reminding herself that she had to regroup with the others.

"Oh no...what am I gonna say to Luna?" She asked herself, running her hands through the red and white mixture of hair.

Summer sighed, moving back around to the other side of the containers. The orange haired girl, Penny, was already gone. Summer was going to thank her for helping Ruby, but now she couldn't.

Looking over the rest of the area, Blake and Sun were next to each other, looking tired and drained of aura, but otherwise okay. Luna was floating next to Ruby, still visible. Did that mean that whatever happened to the two of them was purely a semblance thing? Summer certainly hoped so.

As she approached the group, police sirens in the air, Ruby looked like she was currently losing her mind.

"I don't really care about the fact that you ran away and dragged Azura with you, I want to make sure everyone is okay! So, where is Azura?! I know that he would be here!"

Sun stepped in front of a despondent Blake, speaking for her. "Uh, Ruby, was it? Azura was here with us, with his little ghost buddies, but then he never dropped down into the fight."

"What? So now he's missing?!"

"No! At least, I think so. He should have regrouped with us by now." Sun responded, trying to calm her down.

"He's here." Summer said, approaching them.

Sun and Blake looked like they couldn't believe what they saw.

"Azura? Is that...you?" Blake asked.

Summer answered as Ruby turned around, looking at them in shock.

"No. Well, yes. It's confusing. This is Azura's body, but I have control right now. I don't know how it happened, but it was useful at the moment that it occurred."

Ruby spoke next, confusion visible in her voice. "Your voice is different. Almost like...I don't know, your voice seems recognizable. No matter, are you the second ghost that Azura always avoided talking about? Is he okay?"

Summer smiled. "He should be, yes. Or, at least, I think so. I can still feel his presence within his own body, but mine seems to have taken over."

Sun laughed nervously. "I guess that explains the new look."

Two pairs of footsteps were heard in the distance, eventually showing that it was Yang and Weiss coming up on them. Weiss stopped after a certain distance, while Yang sprang forward and dragged Ruby into a hug.

"We came as soon as we could." Yang said.

Ruby eventually broke away. "And everything is fine. The fight is over, we're safe."

"Everything is fine? How do you explain the red and white hair that Azura has right now?" Weiss commented, standing still from her position.

"Or the weird double voice thing." Sun said.

"Or that one of his eyes are now silver." Blake quietly commented.

"Or the glowing white cloak…" Yang said, suspicion written on her face.

"What you say next has no connection to whatever you are thinking." Summer said, hand still on the hilt of Red Fox.

"I just want to know if my friend is okay first." Yang said, gritting her teeth.

"Okay, okay." Summer said.

Taking the chance to avoid anything relating to herself, she closed her eyes and tried to see if she could find and wake the presence of Azura up. As she mentally called out to him, the presence violently lashed out, sending a searing wave of pain through their currently shared body. Summer gasped as her eyes opened again, falling down to the ground.

Ruby, being the closest to Summer, was there to slow her fall and gently bring her down to the ground. The look of concern and worry would make Summer laugh if she wasn't reeling in pain at the moment.

"Azura? Are you okay? This is just like the last time!"

Summer could only gasp in response, feeling like she was burning up on the inside.

As Ruby continued to look over the twitching body that was Azura's, but currently Summer's, her eyes widened as she seemed to come to a conclusion that Yang had refused to say.

"Mom?"

Her cracking voice and the shouting of other voices was the last thing Summer heard before fully collapsing and giving in to the darkness.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**Unknown date**

**?**

**?**

Azura didn't know where he was, or if what he felt was even real. It was like he was floating on top of an ocean of water. He wasn't being pushed around, and the water was completely still, allowing him to float gently.

He was at peace. A being without worry, without doubt. But also a being without happiness or joy.

The starry night sky was filled with stars, and the water was filled with rose petals, being the only feeling that Azura felt brushing against his skin. He couldn't move, not that he would have done so. It was like he was drifting to sleep, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to wake up from.

He felt like he shouldn't be sleepy. That there was something that he was missing. Like there was a reason for him to try to get up and find some way to move. That he should wander around, trying to find a way out.

But why should he? That question quickly passed through his mind. This was a place of peace, where fears and lies melted away. It was a sanctuary, one that smelled faintly of roses. He wanted nothing more than to stay in this place.

_Now that wouldn't be a great idea. Stand._

Azura recognized the voice, but he wasn't sure of who it might belong to. A flash of a cane and gray hair went through his mind, and he felt the need to follow the voice. But, his muscles wouldn't respond to his commands. The water suddenly felt so heavy, like it was willing him to stay.

_You will stand._

Azura willed himself to move, slowly dragging his body up. His muscles felt so heavy, his mind so groggy. It felt like it took an eternity to get up.

_Follow the roses. They wish to lead you to an awakening._

The words confused Azura's groggy mind. He was surrounded by roses, anywhere he looked had roses of many colors. However, as he looked, he took notice of an odd looking rose, with a dark red on the outside, while the inside was white.

He willed himself to move towards it, feeling the need to pick it up as he walked up next to it. He bent down, feeling a pain in his head as he grabbed it. When he looked back up, he was in the auditorium of Beacon. But, he didn't recognize anyone as he stood there, up on the stage. Until he looked to the people nearest to him.

"Summer?" He asked.

The woman before him was Summer, but she looked much younger than what he knew. She seemed to be around his age.

"Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen, Raven Branwen. Together, you form team STRQ, or Stark. Congratulations."

The younger Summer looked giddy and full of joy from being named team leader.

_Snap out of it._

The scene around him collapsed, and he was back in the starry night sky and pool of water that was full of roses. He was holding the same rose in his hand, and it vanished in a golden light, reappearing further ahead of him.

Remembering the words to follow the roses, Azura moved towards it once more. Grabbing it again, he was brought to another landscape, this time to the very same cliff that Summer was at when she tried to get him to kill him.

He shook off the bad memory, seeing that Summer was with the same people that was with her in that last...memory?

They were all laughing at something, all holding a light blue ice cream popsicle in their hands. The sun was setting and it was easy to tell that they had aged since then. Bright smiles, and ambitious looks in their eyes.

"To graduating from Beacon!" The blonde, Taiyang, said.

"To being full huntresses!" Summer shouted with glee, arms stretching into the air.

"And hunters." The other man said, his voice gruff. He still looked quite happy from where he was.

"You know what she meant, brother." The woman with long black hair said

She reminded Azura of Yang, just from the hair.

"Shut it, Raven."

Summer sighed. "We're not here to fight, you two. We are celebrating!"

Taiyang laughed merrily.

_Azura!_

Again, the vision ended, and he was brought back to the lake of roses. Like the last time, the rose vanished, reappearing ahead of him. Looking down, he could see roses currently cleaning to his jeans, like it was climbing up him.

They fell off as he walked forward, once more grabbing the two-toned rose that was waiting for him. It was like he was seeing something that he shouldn't, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from picking the rose up when he got near it.

The next scene was a drastic difference from the other two times. It was dark and a downpour of rain was coming down. The black haired woman was walking away from Summer, straight towards him.

"Raven! What are you doing?!"

"Leaving."

"What? You can't leave, Raven! We need you! Taiyang needs you!" She cried out.

"No, they do not. I am needed elsewhere."

It was brief, but her words seemed to cut through Summer like she had just been stabbed. The look of despair on her face broke his heart, but he was shocked by the reaction of the cold woman walking towards him.

She was clearly hurt by her own words. She bit her lip harshly as Summer started sobbing, like a child who couldn't stop what was happening.

_Get out!_

Snapped back into place, he could see the roses once more climbing on him as the one in his hand did its vanishing act once more.

_Why does this keep happening? No matter, you must not let the roses claim you, Azura._

The next time he picked the rose up, he was watching what looked like a young Yang playing with what he could only assume was a toddler Ruby. It was an odd scene to take in, especially with Summer and Taiyang watching with small smiles, quietly talking to each other.

"I'm really thankful to have you in my life. And Qrow, of course." He said.

"Of course. I'll always be there to help out." She responded.

Taiyang laughed lightly. "You didn't have to marry me."

"These things just happen." Summer replied, leaning on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. "Of course. Are you sure you want to be going on that mission?"

She nodded. "Of course I do. Ozpin knows what he's doing."

_Azura! Azura! You have to move! You're so close, I can feel it!_

Just like the other times, the voice snapped Azura out of the vision. He could see the land nearby, away from the water and roses, where the two-toned rose was seemingly waiting for him.

He looked down, and almost gasped as he saw the roses starting to reach up his stomach. He tried to make a dash for it, feeling like his movement was slowed. The roses continued to climb up his body, and Azura thought that he wouldn't be able to make it. Fear finally struck him within the place that he was in, and he tried desperately to reach out the last few inches before reaching the dry land.

The roses seemed to wrap around him, and he was brought down to his knees as he struggled. He felt like he was losing himself as he slowly descended towards the water, like he was no longer Azura, and that he was becoming someone else. His body started to feel heavy, his eyelids blearily starting to close.

_Not when I am this close!_

The voice rang in his ears, like it was getting farther away. He could barely see a rush of green light seeming to push the two-toned rose towards him, his fingertips barely brushing against it.

A desert was all that he saw. A pile of ruins, Summer standing upon a worn pillar, daggers drawn as she looked below. Grimm were everywhere as if waiting without patience as they watched Summer. He was watching from a different pillar, unable to move as he watched Summer jump off of the pillar that she was standing on.

As she fell, her eyes flashed with a glowing silver light. Her daggers glowed brightly, and as she slammed onto the ground, a bright explosion went off with the same bright silver light. All of the Grimm within a ten meter radius were gone, without anything to suggest that they were even there in the first place.

The daggers continued to glow as the Grimm rushed towards her, and that was when a beautiful dance was witnessed by Azura. She flipped and hopped between each Grimm, red and white rose petals flying everywhere as she did so. One by one, Grimm dropped like flies, her dance of fury sending them to their deaths.

Minute after minute, it never seemed to end. She continued dancing, slicing and cutting through each Grimm, with an occasional explosion of that same silver light. It only ended after several minutes more of the same thing. By the end of it, Summer was on the ground, breathing heavily as her red aura fluttered and seem to almost be ready to break.

"So many Grimm for a book that Ozpin wants." Summer said, dragging out a small book out of her pouch.

"And such a shame that no one will see that book." A voice said.

Without any chance to move, a woman as pale as snow and covered in black clothing and veins appeared in front of Summer, thrusting her hand through Summer's stomach. She grabbed the book as it fell from Summer's hand, letting the woman fall off of her arm and down to the ground.

"Now, the last silver-eyed warrior will die." Was all the mystery woman said before vanishing once more.

It was the most terrifying thing that Azura had seen, and he couldn't even scream or move at all. That woman just came and went with ease, like it was nothing.

The only thing that he could do was watch as the woman who was Summer Rose slowly bleed out, gasping loudly as she cried in a pool of her own blood. Whatever breath she tried to get seemed to go right through her.

It felt like an eternity before her shaking even began to weaken and her gasps to become quiet.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character Shift)**

**.**

**July 8th**

**Monday**

**Clear**

Ruby Rose felt that the weather was much too clear and bright for what happened. Or maybe the weather was celebrating that they had Blake back.

Ruby did agree that it was a good thing to have Blake back, and the past arguments with Weiss forgotten. It was a wonderful thing to have happen. Blake and Weiss had apologized to each other, they stopped Roman Torchwick from doing something bad, even if it was scary to answer for the police, and even scarier to be scolded by professor Goodwitch.

But, even all of the good wasn't enough to stop the consequences of Blake leaving. Azura was injured and in the med bay, still sleeping. She saw Ozpin coming in and out of the place rather often, and it concerned her that he was probably doing so because of her friend. Was he still in danger of something?

And the physical changes that he had gone through. If the underlying voice wasn't enough, then the appearance that he had was enough for her to know. Even if she didn't want to accept it at first, she knew who the second ghost that Azura had truly was.

"Did he know the entire time he knew me?" She asked herself, lost in her thoughts as she slowly walked to the med bay.

It was the only conclusion she could come up with, and she didn't know if that should make her feel hurt, and even betrayed.

"And Yang won't even look at me right now. She hasn't been nearly as energetic and carefree as she usually is." She said quietly, talking to herself.

Weiss seemed worried, stating that she had no clue what could be happening to him. Blake was clearly blaming herself for his state. Despite the happiness of having team RWBY back together, the shadow of what the downside of having Blake back hung over them. The depressing thought of it all just wouldn't leave Ruby alone.

Team JNPR seemed to have gone quiet over the weekend. The most that Ruby had seen them was in their dorm, with Ren and Pyra quietly discussing Azura with barely a hint of worry coming off of them. Pyrrha would nervously pace the room, seeming to always be consumed by her thoughts. Jaune and Nora did what they could to keep morale up, trying to keep them busy enough to put their minds off of the idea of something bad happening.

Ruby was the only one who worked up the courage to see him at this moment, as far as she knew. Even knowing that Azura wasn't all Azura, and that her mother was somewhere in there.

"Or the other way around? My mom seemed to have the control before she collapsed...why is this so confusing?!" She said, running her hands through her short hair in annoyance.

She sighed as she stopped, a short distance from the entrance of the med bay. She was scared of what she would find. Of what she would say, even if he was still not conscious. She didn't want to know if the ghost of her mother was there, but at the same time, she desperately wanted to hold on to the hope that she could actually talk to her late mother.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as a hand landed on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw headmaster Ozpin looking down at her. He looked tired, more than usual.

"Are you here to visit mister Heart, miss Rose?"

"Uh, yes, headmaster. Is that okay?" She asked, grabbing at her skirt as she normally did when nervous.

"Of course. I just finished what business I had here." He said.

She tilted her head. "What business?"

"Ah, nothing that special. Simply checking on my students and finishing any conversations that might be needed. I had to speak with those that helped pay for his tutelage here."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Did all of that require him to be here for several hours a day? She had heard the rumors of what Ozpin was doing, and she had to admit that she thought it was an odd coincidence that he was doing it as soon as Azura came in.

"Oh, right. Well, I'm going to visit him, if you don't mind." She said, looking past the taller man.

"Of course. He is still asleep, so do not expect to make conversation once you are in there. Until next time, miss Rose."

"Thank you, headmaster."

Walking with haste, she entered the building and approached the lady at the central desk. Getting the room that Azura was staying in, she made her way to the nearest door on the right as she made it to the second floor.

Standing at the door, she hesitated as she looked at it. She knew that nothing could go wrong with being here, but she still found herself doubting her reasonings. Shaking her head of the doubts that lingered in her mind, she opened the door and entered the small room, closing it behind her.

She stepped into the room fully, the blank white walls and clear window being the only two things that really stuck out. The bed and machinery keeping track of Azura's vitals being the only things for her to really look at. The steady beeping put her at peace, now that she knew that he was living and breathing, the peaceful look on his face helping to support that.

She brought the nearby chair next to the bed, and sat down in it. She was torn as she looked over at the resting boy. The white hair that was his mixing in the black and red that was her own. And her mothers. The glowing cloak was gone and his eyes closed, but it was hard to forget the silver eye that was there. He was a living reminder that her mother was dead, but also a comfort that told her that she could see her mother again.

She grabbed onto his hand with both of hers. "You know, you are a weird person. You bring out the most warm and terrifying feelings I have ever dealt with." She sighed. "You scare me, sometimes. Your semblance is something that I don't want to acknowledge, but...it's also such a wonderful gift. Even if it's selfish of me to say that. I know that Luna, who we all know to be your mother, is here. Listening to my every word as I speak to you."

She paused, letting the silence move within the room for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I miss my mom. And I know you miss yours, even if you feel like you don't. We might be able to talk with them again, but it's not the same. It can only help to fill the gap in our hearts so much."

She sighed heavily.

"I have no idea why I'm saying all of this when no one can respond. But, when I finally figured out that mom wouldn't be coming home, it was hard. Yang tries so hard to fill the role, and I am glad to have a sister like her, but she can only do so much. Y'know, I became a bit of a shut in for a while. I struggled to make friends and to understand my emotions. It really hurt to think of the fact that my own mother would only be known by what other people tell me."

She tightened her grip slightly as she frowned.

"I just hope that something good can come from your situation. I really do. For my own selfish desires, but also for you. I think...I think this can be a turning point for us. For me, for you, for Yang. So, just...come back to us soon, okay?"

She stayed in the room for a while longer, just watching Azura breathe in and out as she thought about the many questions she had.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character Shift)**

**.**

**July 9th**

**Tuesday**

**Clear**

Slowly opening his eyes, Azura winced at the sunlight that was permeating through the room. After adjusting to the light within the room, Azura looked around at his surroundings, realizing that he was within a hospital room. From his position in the bed, however, it could be seen that he was on Beacon grounds.

He felt slightly woozy and his throat was dry, and he was confused as to what caused him to be here, but he still smiled at seeing Luna at his bedside, holding his hand. It was an odd, but welcoming silence that followed, a mute ghost and a currently dry throat patient not speaking. Azura only had a few moments of Luna slowly rubbing her fingers on his hand before they were interrupted, a nurse walking in, clipboard in hand.

"It's wonderful that you are awake. I will get Ozpin at once! Stay where you are, please."

She left nearly as fast as she entered, clearly in a rush to get the news out that he was awake, for whatever reason.

"_Not like we could have responded."_

Azura felt like his brain had just stopped.

"_You can hear me, right?"_

"Yes." He said aloud, his voice sounding rusted and had and underlying feminine voice. "W-what?"

"_Okay, I know you're confused by the whole double voice thing, but calm down."_

Azura took a few breaths, completely confused. _"Summer? Are you...in my head?"_

"_More like your entire body. Or soul. I'm unsure. I just woke up as well, you know."_

Luna was looking at him with confusion. He could only shrug in response, unable to give a good answer.

"_Do you want to explain what is going on?" _

"_I would love to do that, Azura, but I am just about as clueless as you."_

Azura closed his eyes, focusing on the conversation. _"Well, I remember feeling like my whole body powered up, then you said something, then I fell asleep. Next thing I know, I'm awake in here."_

"_Well, I can answer that. Kind of. I am not sure what it is, but you and I have sort of, combined. So, now we are just left to pick up the pieces as we go. Anyway, I fought that girl you were fighting off, kinda kicked her ass, if you ask me. After that, we, or I, grouped up with everyone, and talked."_

"_Are they okay?"_

Her laughter almost seemed to rattle his brain. _"Yes, they are okay. But, when I tried to wake you up, I remember collapsing. And, that's it for me. I woke up with you, about a few minutes ago."_

"_Well, I hope Ozpin will have some answers. I wasn't even told how long I was out."_

"_He'll have some, trust me. Just, try to avoid any weird questions, okay? Whatever happened since then has changed things. You seem to have total control of the talking, even if my voice still comes out with yours, and I don't think I can control your movement."_

Azura let out air, in an attempt to laugh.

"_This is like possession."_

"_It is."_

Azura opened his eyes, and sat up as the door opened once more, watching Ozpin walk in. The man sat down in the chair that was next to the bed, not needing to shift it to face him. Azura could easily see the bags under his eyes.

"_Looks like the old man hasn't been sleeping. At least the coffee addiction still makes sense." _Summer commented.

Ozpin took out a water bottle, offering it to Azura.

"I'm sure you are rather parched. Please, take a drink. We have a few things to discuss."

Azura drank until he felt like his throat wasn't made of sand. Once he finished, Ozpin spoke once more.

"So, tell me, you are clearly confused, correct?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"I suppose that makes sense. In case you were wondering, it has been four days since you have fallen unconscious. The date is July ninth."

"Four days? I don't really feel like I came close enough to death to need that. What happened?"

Ozpin sighed. "That is a complicated question. It seems that the book I lent you has done more than assist you with your semblance. Do you remember the pages on soul bonds?"

"I do. Is this what me and Summer are dealing with?"

"Well, yes and no. What you two engaged in was a soul bond, but the circumstances have certainly changed how it worked."

Azura frowned. "What do you mean?"

"While you went through the normal process for it, your semblance seems to have created a variation of it. It wouldn't have been so different from a normal soul bond, however, if I didn't do anything to help."

"What would have happened if you didn't do anything? What did you do to help me?"

"As curious as ever, I see. Well, let's get the easy information out of the way first. I simply guided you out of the state of...let's say decay. I simply helped to guide you out of such a state. Do you not remember anything?"

"I do. I remember water...and roses. Fragments of memory, or maybe just odd dreams. I don't know."

"I see. It's no issue if you remember very little. Now, What I will tell you next is rather dark. Do you still wish to hear it?" Ozpin asked.

Azura nodded. "I do."

"Well...if I did indeed do nothing to help, you would've never woken up. Azura Heart would have been gone, and Summer Rose would stay behind with your current form. I doubt that even your semblance would remain."

Luna's grip on his hand tightened and Summer's light gasp felt like a pin had just dropped in his head. Azura himself was shocked, despite knowing that messing around with the soul had to be dangerous stuff.

"Oh. Is...is there anything that can be done from here?" He asked.

Ozpin sighed. "Well, the soul bond ended, but I am unsure if anything can be done from here. There is a chance that I might have overlooked something, and maybe you and Summer can be separated once more. There is also a good chance that your semblance is a lot more versatile that we all thought it to be. Maybe even trainable to some extent."

"So, I will be stuck with her in my head for an unknown amount of time? I can think of worse fates."

"_Yeah…" _Summer half-heartedly said.

"Indeed. For now, I suggest that you two get comfortable with each other. I promise that I will try to help you out, and I will even start by informing the other professors of your...condition. I will also inform your team, so that is your warning. You know how they can be." Ozpin said, finishing with a laugh.

"Of course. Thank you headmaster."

The man left the room, silently closing the door as he left. Azura sighed as he laid back down, letting Luna continue to pet his hand with her fingers, trying his best to ignore the more nervous tapping that she started doing.

"_Well, this is certainly a situation. Let's set up some rules, I suppose." _Summer said.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

By the time Azura and Summer figured out that they both feel the same sensations of touch and smell, thus destroying any privacy that could occur, it was further dismounted by team RWBY and JNPR barging into the room like they were part of some parade band.

It was loud and not at all cordial, but Azura had to admit to liking the abrupt entrance, since he hadn't exactly moved from his bed. Pyrrha was in the forefront of all of them, eyes wide and worried as she looked him over, not that he thought it was needed. Ren and Pyra had taken a corner, while Nora and Jaune had lined against the wall with the window. Blake and Yang were by the door, hesitating, and he could see Weiss and Ruby behind them.

"_You going to continue to look at them or say something?" _Summer asked.

"Hey, guys. Uh, you like the new look?" He said, trying to break the awkward feeling in the air.

Seeing Blake flinch and Pyrrha frown wasn't exactly what he was hoping for.

"_I...don't think they like me right now."_

That did seem to be the case.

"Do I like the new look? What do you think the answer to that is?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think it looks great." Nora said, quietly.

Jaune snickered quietly, coughing after a moment and acting like he wasn't laughing.

"Is that a no? I think the red and silver mix pretty well." Azura said.

Pyrrha sighed. "Look, are you feeling okay? Does anything feel off?"

Summer laughed, echoing lightly in his head. _"Well, other than having another person in your head, having that person seem to share the same body, and quite possibly some crazy soul shenanigans, I think we are fine."_

Azura fought to keep the smile off his face as he spoke to Pyrrha directly. "Yeah, everything is great. Just...uh...I'm not sure how to put it."

"Well, we know what your semblance is and I'm sure some crazy things could be done with it. We also know that the other ghost is…" Pyrrha trailed off, looking over at where Yang and Ruby were.

Yang finished the girls' sentence. "We know that Summer Rose is within your body."

The cold tone was a bit of a shock to everyone, and even Weiss seemed taken aback.

Azura sighed. "Right. Well, there's that. I-we're working on that right now. Seeing what's new, what's different."

Pyrrha nodded, finally letting a smile on her face. "Well, I'm glad that you are taking it seriously enough."

"Of course he is. This sort of situation calls for it. He'd have to run from me if he didn't try to be serious about it." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.

"Aww, she does care! Thanks Weiss." Azura said, smile on his face.

She scoffed in response. "You're just as bad as the dolt. And you look similar now."

"Hey, you would look great in black and red too. Maybe dye your hair black, red eye contacts…" Azura said, teasing the girl.

"Wha! Don't even consider the idea as viable!" Weiss exclaimed.

The atmosphere lightened considerably after that, and the entire conversation of the group shifted to become more like it was just another day. After about an hour of this, Weiss announced that they should be heading out, citing that they had combat class soon.

Most of them shuffled out of the room without a word, but some remained behind. As Azura watched it all happen, he saw Yang's harsh glare linger on him before she ended up looking away and leaving the room. As she walked off, Weiss and Ruby sighed softly, sharing a look.

"Just pay her no mind right now, Azura. We're here for a reason, same with Pyrrha."

"Okay. Well, what's up?"

Pyrrha spoke first, and it was almost like they had all spoken about this before coming here.

"We're all worried about you, but I just want to...well, I just want to be there for you, as a team mate, and as a friend. I don't want you to hide any problems you have or anything."

Azura smiled. "Of course. Pyrrha, I'm not going to shy away from my own team or friends."

She nodded. "Good. I just wanted to make sure. I'll take my leave now, then. I hope you get released soon!"

Obviously in a better mood, Pyrrha left with confidence in her step. Weiss coughed into her fist, stepping up towards him.

"I'll admit that I am really curious about what exactly this means for you. I have never seen this kind of scenario, so I want to...offer a deal, as bad as that sounds. That's not what I mean."

Azura shook his head. "I know what you mean, Weiss. What did you have in mind?"

Weiss, much more composed than normal, smiled at his words. "Think of it like an experiment. I want to know what this could mean, and it can also help you to figure out how to work with what you are dealing with. It sounds selfish, but I do want to do this for both of our benefits."

"Sounds great. But, how about we figure this out when I can actually move and be free of this place?"

"Of course. Thank you for agreeing to this, Azura." Weiss said, leaving quickly after that, her face a little red.

Ruby cracked up in laughter after she left.

"_Even I have no idea of why she is laughing."_

"Ruby? What are you doing?"

She stopped laughing after a few moments. "Sorry. I just couldn't stop myself. She was so embarrassed to be asking such a simple thing, it was funny."

Azura let out a brief laugh. "So, I guess I have a personal caretaker and a physical therapist now."

Ruby laughed with him, but she quickly let it drop as she looked away.

"Ruby?" He asked.

"How long did you know that my mother was with us?"

"Since I first spotted you on the airship."

"So that's why you said what you did when you were breaking down on the bench...did you ever intend to show me?"

"Of course I did!"

Ruby sat down in the chair still next to his bed, her legs shaking as her lips shook.

"I-I'm sorry. I know you would have, but I have had so many thoughts going through my head recently."

Summer's silence was telling, and Azura felt like he could feel the sadness she felt at this moment.

He shifted in the bed towards her. "Ruby, look at me."

She did so, her silver eyes glistening.

"I might have no idea what you are thinking, and I might only have a slight idea of how you are feeling, but I want to extend the same hospitality that Pyrrha and Weiss did for me. You're my friend, and I don't want my friends to feel like this. I'm not sure what I need to say here to make you feel better, but I want you to have someone to help you. Even If I am sure you have Yang for that kind of stuff."

Ruby grabbed at his hand, and he winced at the pressure, but didn't say anything.

"Thank you so much...just, thank you. I can't even begin to explain how I feel...you are giving me a chance to talk to my own mother. This is something that I thought I could only dream to do."

Azura smiled as she lightly shook, the girl clearly overtaken with emotion.

"I promise you that you will have your moment. But, I want to do it right. I want you to be able to speak to her without me being there, so that you can both freely speak to each other."

Ruby nodded silently, tears falling down her face. Despite Azura's feeling of somber happiness, he felt a streak of tears fall down his left cheek. Ruby gasped weakly, looking at him with shock.

Summer Rose was crying, even if she was silent. He moved further, shifting his body so that he was fully facing Ruby. She moved forward, embracing him, and he embraced her.

He felt that this wasn't a moment between Ruby and her friend. It was a moment for Ruby and her own mother.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Shortly after Ruby calmed down and eventually left the room, Summer spoke up.

"_Thank you, Azura. I'm very grateful for what you do to help me."_

"_Of course. Ruby is my friend, and so are you. Let's work hard to make your child's dream come true."_

"_I expected no other answer from you."_

"_You know me so well."_

_Yeah...say, Azura. How much did you see? When you were speaking of Ozpin, you said that you saw fragments of memories."_

"_I...saw two moments of your life in Beacon. Becoming part of a team, and I think graduating from Beacon. I saw a woman with black hair leave for something. You were...you were saddened by it. I'm sorry for knowing this."_

"_No, that's not your fault. It has something to do with what led to this situation in the first place. Did you see anything else?"_

Azura thought of how he saw her slowly bleeding out and clinging to the last pieces of her life.

"_I don't want to think about it. It was...I'm sorry."_

"_No, I'm sorry that you had to see that. I didn't want you to know about that. Never mention this to Ozpin. Please."_

Despite the somber response, he could feel her determination of what they had originally spoken about regarding Ruby. He looked over at Luna, who had taken to sitting in the chair that Ruby was originally in. He leaned forward with a sigh, letting Luna run her hands through his hair comfortingly.

"So much for being a simple huntsman."

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there it is. I've been waiting to put this line in, even if it's basically just a simple one. Now, I won't say much, but I hope you like the idea of slowing down how fast the events of volume two go. I want to give some characters more love during it.**

**See ya next chapter! Hope you have a nice day/evening!**


	16. Two Souls, One Body

**Another week, and another chapter. Not much to say here, so I'll just say what I usually do. I hope you enjoy the chapter! **

**Chapter 16: Two Souls, One Body**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**July 10th**

**Wednesday**

**Sunny**

Azura enjoyed being able to move around, and enjoyed being around his friends even more. But, it felt like he skipped more than just a few days while he slept. The dynamic between the group had changed, and it made him feel out of place.

"_Like some sort of alternate universe? Tell me about it." _Summer said.

The echo from her sigh showed that she felt the same way about it all. Azura had to agree with the sentiment. His team had been the same for the most part, even if Pyrrha was being all jittery and nervous over him. But, on the other hand, team RWBY had been almost flip flopped.

Ruby was the same for the most part, but seemed to like his company more than before. Weiss was a little less cold than before, her emotions more open and her smiles a little wider. Though, that came with the downside of Jaune practically blushing every second. Azura rolled his eyes at the image.

"_If you were like that, I would stop you with just my will alone."_

Blake and Yang were easily the most changed since he woke up. Yang wouldn't even spare him more than a glance or a simple sentence. It got worse with Ruby around, but he's been able to ignore it for now. Not even Summer had commented on it yet.

Such as now, everyone was sitting in different positions than he could remember. Before, Pyra was next to him and Ruby was across from him, but now Ruby was next to him and Weiss was across from him.

"_Are you sure this isn't an alternate universe?" _Azura asked mentally.

"_I'm sure. It really is weird though. And don't get me started on Blake." _Summer replied.

"_With her whole hide and seek act?"_

"_Yes."_

Blake was the same as Yang with the whole flip flop, alternate universe game. She went from being slightly open with him to looking away from him all the time.

"_I would say that she feels like she led you to get hurt. I would talk to her soon."_ Summer suggested.

"_Yeah, you're right."_

He just wished he could get some time to be alone and have any private conversations. And he wasn't even talking about Luna and Summer, he was talking about the students of Beacon. He couldn't go down a hall or sit on a bench outside without getting looks or hearing any whispers. About his hair, the eyes, or the way his voice has an underlying second voice. It was honestly beginning to annoy him.

"_Is a public school education always like this?"_

"_Compared to what Luna gave you, it must feel drastic. Trust me, rumors will always come and go. If you just ignore it, it should pass."_

Azura never got a chance to respond to her, feeling a weight drop onto his shoulder. He looked to the side, snapped out of his thoughts, seeing Weiss looking at him.

"Are you going to join us or are you going to eventually turn to stone as you think?" She asked, her blue eyes as icy as ever.

"As if you would let me turn to stone. You'd probably do anything to make sure we do our school work. Where did everyone go?" Azura said as he stood up out of his seat.

"They left without you, as surprising as that is. Now, let's go. I don't want to be late for combat class."

As they walked off together, Weiss pulled out her famous scoff.

"As if I would waste the chance to boss you around. Not my fault that I am the only one who desires to finish their work as soon as possible." She said.

Azura laughed. "You are certainly a piece of work, you know that?""

Weiss rolled her eyes. "If you say so. I like to think that you are all lazy."

"Can people who exercise every single day to be Grimm killing machines be called lazy?" He asked.

"If I wasn't trained to be good at social cues, it would have been hard to notice that you were joking. That double voice is going to take time to get used to." Weiss said.

"Is it really that bad? It doesn't feel like my voice is very different."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, do you have to get used to a more feminine voice lining your own voice? It can be hard to hear it correctly when that is the case."

Azura shrugged. "Fair enough."

He was glad to have fully started over with Weiss, now that they were on speaking terms beyond a few conversations. She had an air of being able to carry a conversation, and he was more than fine for her to control it. It was fun to see her do it, at least to him.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me. You remember those rumors going around?" Weiss asked.

Azura sighed. "How could I forget."

"Well, here they come."

"They?" He asked.

"_They?" _Summer echoed.

"There's been a group of...undesirables who wouldn't stop bugging us about you. Now that you're out, they want to be able to ask their questions and set up the next chain of gossip talk."

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"I'm a Schnee, Azura. Just keep walking, hopefully they'll leave us alone." She said.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Eventually, the group of ten or so students had them surrounded. Just as Azura was about to force his way through while bringing Weiss with him, she stopped him with a glare.

"Why did you change so much after leaving the med bay?" One student asked.

Another followed up. "Does it have anything to do with what headmaster Ozpin was doing there?"

One after another kept coming, and Weiss eventually had enough. "Excuse me, but we have to get to class! Please get out of our way."

Despite her louder tone of voice, she was unable to stop the non-stop questions. Azura wondered if he was starting to get some sort of fanclub.

Weiss sighed in annoyance. "You are all so persistent about this! Let us go!"

Seeming to want to push her patience to the limit, they pushed in. When she was about to go and hit someone, she was pushed into Azura's body from them. He caught her with ease as she tripped.

"_Such a gentleman." _Summer said teasingly.

"_Shush."_

Just as Azura himself was about to reach his limit, a loud voice rang out across the group.

"Can you get off of them, you vultures? Honestly, is that any way to show dedication to being huntsmen?"

Looking beyond the people in front of him, who were not scattering, he could see Cardin standing there, a frown on his face as he watched them leave. The larger boy walked up to him swiftly and held a hand out to Azura, who was caught by surprise by the action. He let go of Weiss's shoulders, who stepped away from him, before shaking Cardin's hand.

"Wait, why am I shaking your hand?" Azura asked midway through.

Cardin retracted his hand as he responded. "Think of it like an apology. And so, I apologize for what I said to you about Jaune and Ruby. When Jaune saved my life, I realized that I was kind of an asshole. So, I wanted to change that. To better myself. I...hm, no matter. If those fakers want anything from you like that again, I'll stop them. Damn rumors."

Cardin walked off, leaving Azura to call out as he walked away. "I think you'll get there, Cardin. Good luck."

He waved his hand back towards them, continuing to walk off. Weiss stepped up towards him as they watched him go.

"Well, this is some sort of equilibrium, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is. First, we get swarmed by...uh…"

"Rumor vultures?"

Azura laughed. "That works. Not a fan of them?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'll let you figure that one out."

"_You can be rather dull."_

Azura winced. "Ouch, two cold responses."

He heard Weiss gasp and suddenly grab his wrist. "Oh no! I refuse for those people to be the reason we are late to combat class!"

He could break out of her surprisingly strong grip, but he couldn't help but smile as he got dragged along.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They were late by only a few seconds, but they still felt uncomfortable under the glare that Goodwitch was giving them. It was hard not to, the woman was terrifying. Luckily, she was busy with another group, so they took the chance to split off towards their teams.

"Late with Weiss? Well, that's certainly odd." Pyra said, a smirk on her face.

Nora bounded over. "Do ya think they are together-together, Renny?"

Ren sighed, but otherwise did not move. "No, Nora, I do not think that they are together-together."

"Guys, we're fine. Just had a run-in with...never mind, it's nothing major. Weiss might be having a nervous breakdown from being five seconds late, but we're here now." Azura ignored Pyrrha's worried look, instead looking to Jaune. "I assume we're doing the usual?" 

Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, we are. But, we don't know about you."

It took a moment for Azura to understand what he was saying, but it made a lot of sense.

"Maybe professor Goodwitch will say something?" Pyrrha asked.

"Indeed I will. Mister Heart, if I can have a moment?" Goodwitch said, looking up at them on the elevated arena.

Azura stepped down the stairs, stopping in front of Goodwitch. Clearly, whatever was being said would be heard by anyone nearby. Most of the other students had already started their exercises, but team JNPR and RWBY were clearly paying attention. It was hard to ignore the feeling of Weiss and Ruby staring at him.

"Well, you are certainly in a unique situation. One that is rather unheard of. Do you feel up to experimenting for me right now?"

Azura nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

Goodwitch brought up her frown and crossed her arms. "I want you to try to activate your semblance. Your semblance, no one else's. Is Luna there?"

Azura nodded again. "Of course. I'll try it right now."

He looked to Luna, who was waiting patiently behind him. She nodded, and once she did, Azura closed his eyes. Focusing upon his aura, he activated his semblance, but upon doing so, found himself sliding backwards on his back. Sitting back up and looking around wildly, he found that the white cloak that had vanished for the past few days was back, and he was surrounded by white and red rose petals.

Luna was in front of him, clearly visible, but almost like it was slower than normal. In fact, it was like everything was moving slower for him. His body was vibrating like a magnet attracted to metal, and it was like he was shaking from being cold.

"_You're just moving faster. Calm down, Azura. You need to deactivate your semblance, it should shut mine down as well."_

Azura heard her words, but he couldn't process them. A few moments later, Ruby was back to speed, and in front of him.

"Calm down."

Like her mother, Ruby would know what to do. Azura finally felt like he knew what they meant, closing his eyes and trying to focus on his semblance again. A moment later, and everything was back to speed. He had slid back about ten feet, but everything seemed to go back to normal. Even the cloak had vanished.

"_That was a close one, how do you feel?"_

"How do you feel?" Ruby asked.

Azura felt like he was having deja vu, hearing both Summer and Ruby ask the same questions.

"I feel...fine. Confused, but fine. What happened? What was that slow down effect?"

Ruby sighed. "I'll explain later."

Goodwitch watched them get back up, waiting patiently before explaining herself.

"That went as expected. Your semblance is now tied to the one within you, so you cannot activate one without setting the other one off at the moment. Any and all semblance training for you should not happen while you are in this state. Miss Rose, I want you to take the time now to explain the semblance and how he could control it."

She turned around, looking at the remains of team JNPR and RWBY. "Get back to training." She said, walking off back towards the other side of the room. As everyone reluctantly went back to training, Ruby was left to sigh and look at him. He could do nothing but shrug as she looked at him.

"Let's take the last empty arena by the door. We can talk there." She said.

Following her to the arena and sitting over the edge of it as they looked out over everyone, Ruby began with a question.

"So, let's start with this. What did it feel like? To be using the Rose family semblance?"

"Weird. Very weird. It was like time had slowed, but I assume it really is just moving faster?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "If I had the power to slow time, I would probably be unstoppable. No, I really do just move faster with it. Your mind just wasn't used to it, I'd say."

Azura laughed lightly. "That makes sense. How long did it take you to get used to it?"

"To the feeling? Only a few weeks. To get used to how it works? A few months. I still learn more about it as I go, even to this day."

"Well, it's also your actual semblance. It's hard to say if I would ever get used to it."

Ruby lightly hit him on his shoulder. "It's technically your semblance now. It might be true that you have two souls or something, but you are still one body."

"_Almost like it's an equilibrium or something. We just need to make adjustments."_

"So, I should focus on making adjustments to it or something?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't have an answer for that. I had trouble with controlling my speed at first, but I still had some way to stop it. You didn't even seem to be able to move without flying around." 

"_Not to mention the years of training I have. It's around triple of Ruby's."_

"Well, it might have to do with experience. I'm brand new to this, and as far as I know, I'm working with a very strong version of it right from the start." Azura said.

"Well, that is true. I'll be honest, I don't have a lot of ideas for what I can do to help you." Ruby said, a frown on her face.

Azura laughed. "Don't worry about it, Ruby. What you told me will be plenty enough for now. We can take care of the rest."

"Right! Well, I have to get back to training. I'll see you later, alright?" Ruby said as she got back up.

"Yeah. Have fun out there." Azura said, smiling as he watched her leave.

As he looked out and continued to watch everyone else practicing with their own semblances, he had to wonder if this would prove to be his hardest challenge yet.

"_Well, this will certainly be interesting. We need to figure out what the main issues are first." _Summer said.

Azura sighed as he responded. _"Yeah. Obviously, my lack of experience is the main problem."_

"_Not to mention how strong of a shift it is. If you had the base form of my semblance, then it wouldn't be a problem. To you, it probably feels like you just jumped out of a speeding car."_

"_That is a bad combination right off the bat. At least motion sickness isn't going to be the end of me."_

"_Doesn't mean you won't get vertigo. I'm surprised you didn't almost collapse just from using it as suddenly as you did." _Summer reminded.

"_At least most of the problems are things that mostly just need a lot of practice."_

"_But how would we practice it if you can barely control it? I'm sure Ruby could help, but she could only do so much. She's never had to try to control it at this level." _Summer said, her sigh loud in his mind.

That gave Azura an idea, one that he voiced quickly. _"What if we tried to find a way to curb the speed? Lower it to a level that even I could control?"_

"_Are you suggesting that we try to cap the speed of my semblance? If so...hm. How would we do that?"_

"_Well, that's where I am stuck. I assume that you can't really do anything to do that?"_

"_No. Not on my own."_

Azura frowned. _"Well, I know Weiss has been waiting to ask about experimenting with it. Should we talk to her about it?"_

"_That is probably for the best. Let's wait for the end of combat class."_

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As it turned out, Azura didn't even need to ask Weiss anything. The girl, despite her cold exterior, had almost excitedly walked to him when they were done. All he could do was smile at her once she got close.

"Hey, Weiss. You did good out there."

A hand fell on her waist. "You sound like a suitor. I do hope that isn't the case."

He shook his head. "Says the girl that looked rather excited to talk to me."

"I did no such thing."

"If you say so."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I guess you know what I want to ask you, then?"

"Well...no. I actually wanted to ask you for your help."

"Yes."

Azura blinked. "Oh."

Weiss smirked. "What do you mean?"

That was fast. Do you even know what I want to ask?"

"That I do. You think I can find a way to stop your semblances from freaking out."

Azura laughed. "You might be too smart for your own good."

"But I'm not too smart for your own good. Someone has to be the brains." Weiss said, an air of pride in her tone.

"Doesn't that just make you a nerd?"

Weiss made a sound that was similar to choking. "I am not a nerd!"

Azura laughed again. "You are too easy to tease, you know that?"

"Hmph." She said, turning her head to the side and closing her eyes.

"So, how about it? Want to test your crazy theories on me?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him from the side. "Well, I won't say no. How about you leave me to my ideas, and I'll get back to you."

"Sounds good. Now, let's go catch up to everyone, you little nerd."

"I am not a nerd!"

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**July 13th**

**Saturday**

**Clear**

"This is your private training area? I'm not quite sure what I should have expected." Weiss said.

Azura shrugged. "It was useful for what I needed. And it should work for what we need at the moment, right?"

Weiss sighed, but nodded. "Yes, it should be fine. I was just expecting you to just have us go to the training halls."

"I could have done that, but if I accidentally destroy something because I'm too fast, I wouldn't want it to be school property."

This time, Weiss shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess."

Azura looked out beyond the foliage and trees, taking a moment to think. He spun around, asking Weiss the question he had been waiting to ask. "So, what do you have in mind for me? Nothing crazy, I would hope. Not sure if I could handle crazy at the moment."

"Well, I have a few ideas, but they aren't fully concrete and probably land somewhere in the area of theory. I can't say that I understand the soul, or even when you have two in one body." Weiss said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, tell me what you're thinking. What would you try first?"

She was silent for a moment before answering. "Just a simple test. Do you think...that maybe you could stop the semblance on your own? That would help with what I am thinking."

"I can try."

Azura closed his eyes as he breathed in and out deeply. Focusing once more on his semblance, he called out to Summer.

"_You think you could help me? I wonder if you could be the one who triggers the semblance, and have it go from there."_

"_It's worth a shot. Alright, you ready?_

"_Go for it."_

Within an instant, Azura sped forward and slammed into the stone wall in front of him. He groaned, but he could have sworn he heard laughter.

"_Are you...laughing at me?"_

"_...No. Maybe."_

Azura let out a small laugh. _"It was pretty funny. Did you slam into walls when you first got your semblance?"_

"_All the time._"

As he stood up, he saw Weiss nearby. He shook his head at her worried glance.

"Apparently it's pretty common to run into walls with a speed semblance."

Weiss laughed lightly. "Ruby says the same thing."

'_It runs in the family." _Summer said.

"Well, I would say that went pretty horribly. Don't tell me you want me to try it again."

Weiss just stared at him.

"Weiss."

She smiled sheepishly.

"Of course." He said, sighing.

And so, for the next hour, Azura was tossed and turned as Summer continued to trigger her semblance, with the intention of finding out if Azura could try and stop it. At the beginning, Azura could do nothing but slam into the cliff wall over and over again. And by the end, the most that they had managed to accomplish was Azura managing to only lightly hit the cliff wall.

"Even with aura, this sucks. A lot."

"_Well, it's how I learned."_

"_Ruby might as well just be you. You know that?"_

"_I don't see the problem."_

Weiss was giving him a look, one that said that she might have conjured up an idea.

"Did you finally think of a way to end my suffering?"

"Oh shush. You have aura for a reason." Weiss said.

"Doesn't mean it stops pain." Azura complained.

He sat down, taking the moment of peace for what it was worth. It was better to stay quiet while Weiss did her thing, which was being very smart. Much too smart for someone her age, if he had any say. She had taken a small notebook out and was currently looking at an open page, and he could only assume that she had been taking notes or something while he threw himself at a wall.

A few minutes passed, and Weiss had yet to do anything but read through the pages she had. Azura began to wonder if he should do something about it.

"_I don't think that she will even consider your existence until you bring her back to reality." _Summer commented.

"_I'm telling you, she is much too smart for her own good." _Azura said.

A moment later, she suddenly blushed, like she had uncovered some dirty secret.

"Weiss? You okay there?"

She looked at him, looked away, muttered something, then turned back to look at him.

"So, I have an idea." She said, almost hesitantly.

He tilted his head. "Okay. What is it?"

She coughed into her hand, her cheeks returning to their normal complexion. "It requires something with my glyphs. They can do many things, including having things slow down. I was wondering if I could make it so that it might slow down your semblance."

"Then why the blush? That doesn't sound that bad." Azura said, still confused by her initial reaction.

"Well, if I want this to work as something that can remain once I deactivate my semblance, it requires it to be done like a tattoo. I would have to…" Weiss said, trailing off.

"You would have to what?" Azura said, trying to coax it out of her.

"I would have to basically draw the glyph on your body."

"_That was what she was blushing for?"_

Azura almost couldn't believe it. That wasn't nearly as bad as what he thought it could have been. He started to laugh, finding it to be hilarious.

"What do you find so funny?!" Weiss said, annoyed by his reaction.

"Weiss, that isn't that bad. Couldn't you just put it on my cheek or something, and have it be good?"

Weiss sighed. "Of course you would think it works like that. No, I would have to balance it."

"How so?"

"I would need to place one on each of your wrists, one on each of your ankles, one just somewhere on your face, and the central one on...your chest."

Azura almost laughed once more, but decided to help salvage her dignity. He personally didn't have a problem with it, given his past history with the daughter of the Blue family, Lucina. She had patched him up before when he had depleted his aura and hurt himself several times, so he was used to being seen shirtless.

"Weiss, we both know why you would be doing this. It's not anything beyond that. You don't even have to do it."

Weiss shook her head. "No, I have to. I owe it to you for helping to keep Blake alive when she ran away."

"Well, should we get started, if you want to do this? It would be better to test this as soon as possible, right?"

Weiss sighed. "I hate you."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"_It's pretty weird to be feeling this in a body that I can't even control." _Summer said for the fifth time.

"_It isn't that bad. She already did most of the glyphs on my wrists and ankles. Just one more." _Azura responded.

"_Not my fault that I am ticklish. And she has soft fingers!" _Summer cried out as Weiss dragged her index and middle finger across his wrist.

Azura laughed out loud at that, drawing a complaint from Weiss.

"No sudden movements! Why are you laughing in the first place?"

Azura smirked as he sat still, his arm extended across Weiss. "Summer said that you had soft fingers. She might be ticklish, but I agree with her."

"Sh-shut up. It isn't my fault that my hands are soft."

She put her hands away, allowing him to drop his arm. He stretched it to not make it feel as stiff as it was, looking down at his wrist. It was almost exactly as Weiss said, a black tattoo of her glyph that was simply imprinted on his skin. It wasn't moving, just sitting there like it wasn't some semblance.

"Hey Weiss. Do you know how these things will work?"

"For the most part. I have one more to place before I can create the centerpiece, which is what is going to keep it working. In theory, it should only activate once Summer's semblance is triggered." She said.

Azura blinked. "In theory."

"Yes. Now, lay down. This one needs to be on your cheek."

He looked behind him, seeing that Weiss was sitting behind him. She rolled her eyes at his hesitance, grabbing his shoulder and bringing him down to rest his head in her lap.

"Honestly. After teasing me so much, you're the one to hesitate."

Azura rolled his eyes as he got comfortable, letting out a sigh as he did so.

"I wouldn't talk at all if I was you, otherwise I can't get a perfect glyph."

A few moments of silence later, once Weiss got started, she spoke.

"You know, you are probably the oddest person I know. Ruby already attracts enough attention with the way that she is, but then you go and do something that just blows it out of the water. Ruby makes a million splashes, and you just go and make a big one every now and then. It's almost like fate just wants to play a game and decided that you and Ruby would be its playthings." She laughed lightly. "It really makes you wonder what will happen next. I mean, we have an heiress, a champion warrior, a runaway, a young prodigy, and some crazy ghost guy who is now fused with an older prodigy. It's like we have a sign painted on us, just asking for trouble to find us."

Weiss shook her head as she finished a stroke, the humming of her semblance close to his ears. It was weird to know that Weiss had a semblance that actually made noise, but he had to admit that it was a comforting one.

"I just hope that everything will be calmer in the next few months. I mean, it shouldn't get that much crazier compared to the stunt that Blake made, right? I would certainly hope not. If the oddest thing that I see in my life is a boy having the soul of someone's mother in his body, then I will be quite happy with that."

Weiss continued on silently after that, quickly finishing with the glyph on his cheek. He raised his head, putting his hand to the cheek that she had put the glyph on, finding that he couldn't even feel that.

"If you're looking for it, it's pretty small and towards the back of your jaw. Also, you won't be able to feel it, since it technically wasn't made out of ink, like a normal tattoo."

"Then, how would it work?" He asked.

"It has to do with how my semblance functions. The last one will be the battery that charges the rest of the glyphs, and it will only show up like how my semblance usually does. I just hope this won't cost me for training...I've had to use about fifty percent of my aura to make sure your glyphs are going to function." Weiss complained softly.

Azura shrugged. "I'm sorry. I appreciate what you're doing, Weiss. Just thought that I would tell you."

"Whatever, just lay back down. I have to do the one on your chest."

Azura smirked. "You get to see me half-naked. I didn't expect you to be the one to do it, weiss."

The glare she sent his way almost stopped him in his tracks. "Not. A. Word."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

About ten minutes of awkward silence later, they were done. Weiss got up off of the ground, and Azura followed, putting his shirt and sweatshirt back on. As Weiss had said, he felt like nothing had changed at all with having the glyphs on his skin.

"And that's that done. Now, we just need to test it. The way I set it should cap you to just above Ruby with her current speed, somewhere between forty and fifty miles per hour, if I had to say." Weiss said, once more scribbling in that notebook she had.

"_That's about forty percent of what I can do. I was able to hit 110 before. You think you could reach that?"_

"_Right now? How about no."_

"Should we try it with the same test we have been trying?" Azura asked.

"Yes, that should be good enough. You can go whenever you're ready."

Azura lined himself with where he was originally throwing himself at the wall. He could even see the beginnings of a crack from where he was throwing himself to.

"_You ready?" _Summer asked.

Azura breathed in, hoping for the best, then exhaled. _"Do it."_

Feeling the familiar rush of Summer's semblance starting to propel him forward as he ran, he felt that this was much more controllable than normal. The glyphs that Weiss put on him felt alive, buzzing softly as they fought Summer's semblance. This time, it was like there was a second pair of arms and legs running with his own, much more confident than his own. If this is what it felt like to run with Summer, then he felt like he might have found a new addiction.

Rushing up to the cliff wall, he leapt towards it, and that was when he had finally realized the joy of this semblance. He was running up the cliff, like he wasn't going up at all, but instead running down a hill, building up momentum.

"_You trust me, Azura?"_

"_Yes. Are we doing something crazy?"_

"_Jump off the cliffside."_

Without a second thought, Azura jumped, allowing himself to fall down with his back turned to the ground. Having the same phantom feeling of Summer's legs and arms, he followed her movement of twisting his body around and face towards the ground.

"_Use the momentum of activating the semblance to counter gravity. Go and push your arms forward once I trigger it. Just in case, brace your aura."_

Once more following her lead, he allowed her to trigger her semblance, and pushed his arms out towards the ground. He slowed down, bracing his aura as he hit the ground, rolling a few times before landing unsteadily on his feet.

His arms hurt, and he probably would regret doing that soon, but he was too busy laughing in excitement. He could feel Summer doing the same, the echoes of her laughter running through his mind. The adrenalin rush of the entire thing was starting to end, and once the world came back to him, he saw Weiss staring at him. The large smile and look of excitement on her face said more than enough.

"I can't believe I managed to fix your semblance."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**July 15th**

**Monday**

**Clear**

"Okay, if you get called up for a fight...well, it would be weird, first of all. And second of all, you'll be able to actually fight."

Weiss was sitting next to him, fidgeting like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. They had kept quiet about what exactly they had managed to do, but they were running out of excuses to use about why he had a glyph on his cheek. They had managed to get them to stop asking questions, even if Ruby was persistent on wanting to know why it was there.

Sitting and waiting for Goodwitch to call the first two students down was painful to Azura, and he couldn't help but be excited for the chance to try it out.

"_You're getting me all caught up in your excitement. You like my semblance that much?"_

"_I can't help it. I want to see how I do with it in combat."_

"_Well, pay attention, kid. She's calling the first people down."_

He looked up, finding that Goodwitch was indeed standing out and looking at everyone. Her eyes, analytical as ever, looking over and landing on Azura himself. She looked away, sighed, then spoke up.

"The first match will begin in one minute. The opponents...Azura Heart and Ruby Rose."

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there we are. Another cliffhanger, but I promise that these will become a bit less common than it looks like it will be. Next chapter will be fun, I promise that. Or, at least, I hope you are excited for the fight that is coming up.**

**I hope you have a good day/evening!**


	17. Chess Pieces

**The fight that I promised is a little shorter than I was hoping it would be, but it was honestly harder to write than I thought it would be. I cut it short, and I would like to think that it turned out decently. I found that shortening the fight to a bit less than I intended allowed me to put focus on other things that come into play. The chapter is a bit shorter as well, but I prefer it like this, otherwise it would end weirdly.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 17: Chess Pieces**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start/Character Shift)**

**.**

**July 15th (Same day)**

**Monday**

**Clear**

As Ozpin watched Goodwitch catch the eye of the camera once she called Azura and Ruby down for a fight, he knew her annoyance. He chuckled, then took a sip from his mug of coffee, turning away from the screen that showed what the camera saw.

"Oh, Glynda. If only you knew why I was doing this."

He looked towards his desk, seeing the mess of papers. He sat down in the chair and opened up one of the compartments on the side. Looking at the papers, he eyed the list that had all of the students that he deemed important. On the short list, he only held a few names.

"Pyrrha Nikos. A warrior, champion, and with too big of a heart. Weiss Schnee. Family wealth and control, powerful semblance, and a tendency to figure things out. Jaune Arc. Known family lineage, strong desire to grow strong and be a hero. Ruby Rose. Silver eyes, prodigy. Top priority."

Once Ozpin finished listing off the names, he looked back at the camera screen, putting the arena in focus. He grabbed a pen, bringing it to the list and crossing out Jaune's name. Putting down a new name and footnote.

"As things change, keep an eye on this one. Azura Heart. Connected to Summer Rose, an enigma for his semblance. Suspicious of me and possibly able to know my secrets."

He sighed as he put the paper back to where he grabbed it from.

"It seems that not even the dead wish to keep their secrets."

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character Shift)**

**.**

"_Well, this will be interesting." _Summer said as he walked away from Ruby to go to the other side of the arena.

He took a glance over at everyone, Luna included, in the bleacher area. They all seemed rather excited, and he could see Weiss looking at him smugly, with confidence in her work. Yang seemed more indifferent, which looked weird in his opinion, considering her personality.

"_You aren't going to fight half-heartedly, are you? I can call Luna down and you can just watch." _

Summer's laugh echoed in his mind as it always did. _"Of course not. She might be my daughter, but I'm not going to hold back. Just remember that my semblance is currently being slowed."_

"_Right. So, you think those phantom movements that we felt is going to mess with me?" _Azura asked.

"_Not at all. I can barely do anything with it beyond guide you in my semblance."_

Their conversation was cut short as Goodwitch called out for them to get ready. He saw Ruby mecha-shift Crescent Rose out of it's sheathed form, and he took out Rose Eye and Red Fox. He breathed out and stretched, wondering if a new plan would be needed with Summer's semblance on his side.

"Begin!"

The humming from the glyphs rang in his ears and the feeling of the wind going through his hair started as Summer triggered her semblance, white and red rose petals flying behind him. It seemed that Ruby had the same idea, pushing forward with her own red colored trail. Within seconds, they collided, a small explosion of rose petals going off as his sword dragged along the scythe head.

He pushed his momentum and cut at her arm with Rose Eye, the dagger nicking her aura. She pushed away, allowing his heavier weight to carry him away from her as she slid away. Ruby activated her semblance again, forcing Summer to trigger her own, with Azura following after the phantom movements. As he dodged, he saw that Ruby had attempted to take him on a ride by grabbing him with Crescent Rose and digging into his aura.

"_Thanks."_

"_Pay attention!"_

Azura hopped back, dodging Ruby's follow up slash. Triggering her semblance again, Azura slid in front of Ruby, grabbed the shaft of Crescent Rose, rose petals flying as he used to slide under it to get behind her, the momentum throwing her balance off. He grabbed her hood with his sword hand, driving Rose Eye into the side of her aura. Without warning, he was flung over Ruby's head, seeing red rose petals as he flew.

"_Follow my lead. She'll start to attack if you don't recover."_

The feeling of rose petals fluttering around him, he follows after the phantom movements, hitting the ground on his hands and bouncing off of it, landing on his feet. The final movement he followed had him slamming his blades down as Ruby slashed towards him with her speed. They were in a deadlock, both of them shaking as they both tried to overpower the other.

"You having fun?" Azura said, his voice strained.

Ruby's only response was a competitive smile.

One step to the left, and a sudden jerk from Ruby's semblance, and Azura had lost Rose Eye, leaving him only with his sword, Red Fox. He only had a moment to think about how commonly he lost his dagger before taking a hit from Crescent Rose straight to his face, along with a sniper shot bouncing on his aura near his ear.

He shook his head as his ears rang, quickly blocking her incoming slash. He slid the weapon away from his blade before slashing upward vertically, hitting Ruby's aura again. Following his advantage, Azura kept up the momentum, now trying to just break through Ruby's guard. As she slid backwards with her semblance, he jumped forward with Summer's. As long as he kept Red Fox on him, he would be able to keep the advantage.

"_She's planning something. Keep your eyes on her arms."_

Keeping her words in mind, he watched her movements with Crescent Rose as she blocked hit after hit. It was like she was shifting her fingers along the shaft of Crescent Rose. Once she stopped, Azura tried to back off, finding that he had spent too long trying to break her guard. She had hooked Red Fox on the blade of Crescent Rose, firing off the sniper function of it and snapping the blade away from his hand, leaving him without a weapon.

Without a weapon, Ruby was free to attack at him mercilessly. Which she took advantage of without a second thought.

"_Either take the hit or follow my dodges."_

"_Got it."_

He dodged her initial slash, and hopped back away from the follow up attack. She sped forward and jumped up to slam Crescent Rose down, and Azura followed Summer with her dodge to end up behind Ruby. Feeling the movement continue, he spun around with it, hopping up midway to kick at Ruby's side. She blocked with a slash towards his foot, throwing him away with the force as it hit his aura, and he followed the momentum to land on his hands and feet.

"_You totally change my movement."_

"_I'm flexible. Now, grab the shaft of Crescent Rose when she goes to slash you again."_

Almost as if Summer had known exactly what Ruby would do, Azura followed the phantom movements, grabbing onto the shaft as the blade sliced into his aura along his arm. Summer activated her semblance again, tugging along on it, and that was when he knew what Summer wanted.

She was trying to take Ruby's weapon for their own use. The issue that they now faced was that Ruby had seen through their plan and used her own semblance to follow along. They both stopped, leaving them with a tug of war over the weapon.

Azura felt a smile tugging at his lips, seeing that Ruby had the same smile on her own face. Azura jumped up with his grip on Crescent Rose tightening, letting Summer's semblance carry him over Ruby. Ruby followed after him with her own semblance, twisting him to the side. He planted his feet to the ground, thrusting his arms up to try and tug it out of her grip.

As he tried to start a new way to try and get the weapon, Ruby activated her semblance and slammed into his chest, then bounced off of him, weapon in her hand. Azura was left to fall to one knee, out of breath from Ruby having slammed into him as hard as she did.

"_Follow my arm once she charges back in."_

Azura took what time he could to catch his breath, still feeling slightly dazed. He could feel Ruby running in, red rose petals closing in on him. Summer's left arm extended outward, towards Crescent Rose, while the other started to reach out for Ruby's body.

"_Aura!"_

Azura followed the movement, flooding some aura into his left arm as he grabbed the shaft of the scythe, while his other arm grabbed a fistful of her clothing. He spun with her momentum, and that was when Summer triggered her semblance, shocking Azura. Within a moment, Ruby was on her back, hitting the ground with Azura hovering over her, Crescent Rose pinning her to the ground.

"Why do all my battles end with someone on the ground?" Azura groaned.

Ruby also groaned. "I surrender."

"The match is over! Azura Heart is the winner!" Goodwitch said.

Azura got up off of Ruby, taking Crescent Rose with him. The metal was warm on his skin, and the weight, while balanced more towards the scythe head for more powerful slashes, didn't feel like it would be hard to balance.

"_She's pretty good at this stuff." _He thought.

"_She's my prodigal daughter, after all." _Summer said with pride.

"_Shut up. I don't need an egotistical ghost in my head."_

He broke out of his conversation with Summer when Ruby grabbed onto Crescent Rose, lightly tugging on it.

"Can I have my weapon back?"

Azura shook his head, letting go of the scythe. "Right."

Once Glynda gave Azura his weapons back via her semblance, she did her usual routine of going over what they did correctly and what they did wrong.

"Miss Rose, what you did to disarm mister Heart was a great example of taking advantage of misdirection and using your speed to pull it off. But, you underestimated mister Heart, assuming that he had no idea of how to control a semblance so similar to your own."

Ruby looked away, embarrassed. "Of course, miss Goodwitch."

Goodwitch nodded, before turning to fully look at Azura. "Mister Heart, you showed once again that you have perseverance and a strong will in a fight, never willing to truly accept defeat until all of your options are gone. And as I find myself commonly saying to you, do remember that you are assisted by a fully-fledged huntress. Two, to be precise."

As she was about to turn away, Goodwitch seemed to remember something.

"I have no idea how you and miss Schnee managed to find a way to get your semblance under control so fast, but be sure to actually let me know next time." She looked towards a corner somewhere in the room, and sighed. "You and miss Rose are dismissed. Report to Ozpin's office after you clean yourselves up."

Azura met Luna's eyes and nodded. He glanced to his side, where Ruby was, who seemed as confused as he was.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As Azura was waiting for Ruby to leave her respective locker room, Summer just wouldn't stop talking to him.

"_Look, I can't help the fact that I'm in your head. Sure, it's weird, but you're going to have to get used to it." _Summer said.

Azura sighed. _"I am getting used to it. But, it's the same idea as having a woman in the shower with me. Just...as a ghost."_

"_Am I too old for your tastes?" _She responded in a teasing tone.

"_I'm not answering that question."_

"_Oh, Azura. You flatter me. And is that a blush I feel? Your face is rather warm."_

"_You are a horrible woman, you know that? Might as well be hitting on a minor."_

"_I think we are well beyond that, Azura. I'm kind of within your body."_

Azura rolled his eyes. _"Let's move on to something else. What do you think Ozpin wants?"_

"_If I had to guess, it might have to do with our current form. He did say that he would speak to us if he found a way to separate us or if we are stuck as is."_

"_What are you hoping to hear if that is the case?"_

Summer took a moment to respond. _"Of course I would want to be separate, but I don't mind our situation. I mean, being able to do this is what saved you while fighting that umbrella girl. Plus, it would be nice to talk to you face-to-face again."_

"_It was a parasol."_

Summer sighed._ "Whatever."_

Another minute of waiting was all that was needed. Ruby walked out of the door to the girls' locker room, her short hair a little messier and more spiky than usual.

"Do you just never brush your hair?" Azura asked.

"Of course I do, dummy. Besides I should ask you the same question. You don't make your hair that wild." Ruby said, looking at his own wild hair.

"It was her idea. Besides, the color and shape is natural. Kind of." He responded.

"Your hair is never that spiky. Wild, but never to this degree. Were you styling your hair in the shower?" Ruby continued.

"I can't not wash my body, so I have to run my fingers through my hair, even if I have an older woman sharing my body." Azura said, shrugging.

Ruby blinked. "What?"

It took a moment for Azura to understand why Ruby was blushing as hard as she was. He laughed, realizing that he might be a little more used to the idea of sharing a body than he thought.

"_I don't think she thought about what exactly our situation dealt with." _

"That came out wrong." Azura said, still laughing.

"Okay, never mind. I don't want to know. I really don't want to even think of it." Ruby said, her high voice higher and more strained than usual.

Azura laughed again. "Well, why don't we start getting over to Ozpin, yeah?"

Ruby nodded, still blushing. "Yeah, sure. Let's do that. Just no talk of what my mother is doing with my friends' body."

The wind blew gently as they exited the combat halls and turned to move towards Beacon tower to find out what Ozpin wanted. Azura glanced over at Ruby, still smiling at her reaction.

"Man, that really riled you up, didn't it?" He asked in a joking tone.

"I just didn't really think it through, okay?!" She said loudly, before speaking more quietly. "Do you...share the same senses?"

Azura shrugged. "We obviously haven't figured everything out, but that does seem to be the case."

"_No dirty thoughts."_

"Nope. Don't want to know." Ruby said as she saw Azura suddenly break out in laughter.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They were standing within Ozpin's office for two minutes now, but the man had yet to speak. Azura glanced at Luna, who simply shrugged, and over at Ruby, who seemed uncomfortable to just be in the room.

A few moments later, and Ozpin finally put the book he was looking through back from where he got it in the bookshelf, taking a seat behind the desk a second later.

"I'll cut right to the chase and assume that you do not know why you are all here. I called Azura here for the specific reason of it dealing with his body and semblance. As for you, miss Rose, I wanted you to be here to listen to this. This deals with your mother...so I figured you would want to be here as well." He said.

Ruby frowned for a moment. "What about Yang?"

Ozpin sighed, and shook his head. "Do not think that I am unaware of miss Xiao Long's anger towards Azura and Summer. I thought it best to not discuss it with her at this time. As much as I do not like to say it, I think you should be the one to tell her the information, miss Rose."

Ruby seemed to get even more nervous than before.

"_Nothing quite sucks more than not being able to do something…"_

Azura agreed, but did not say anything towards her, speaking to Ozpin instead.

"Are we here to talk about me and Summer?"

Ozpin looked at Ruby for another moment before turning his eyes towards Azura.

"_I might have no trust for the man, but I don't think I have ever seen him not look tired."_

The dark bags creeping under his eyes or the smile that didn't quite reach that far spoke volumes of the life that the headmaster of Beacon academy led. If Azura wasn't paying attention, however, he would have missed what Ozpin said.

"That is correct. I haven't quite found a solution, but I wish to shed some light onto what it means. It might be a bit confusing, but you must follow along, alright?"

Receiving nods from Azura and Ruby, Ozpin continued.

"What I am going to tell you about is a research topic called soul weight. It's specifically tied to the research of soul bonds, and has even managed to help me further understand your situation."

"_He knows more than he pretends to. Listen to him, but be careful." _Summer interjected.

"I believe the reason why you are a special case, outside of forming a soul bond due to your semblance, is that you managed to hold on to yourself, despite Summer having the heavier soul weight."

"_Only with his help." _Summer said, speaking quietly.

"Uh, headmaster Ozpin? What does that mean?" Ruby asked, fidgeting anxiously as she stood.

Ozpin glanced over at Azura before sighing. "It means that the Azura you knew would have vanished, leaving only the body, and your mother, Summer, would have taken his spot. It was mostly a miracle for him to end up striking an equilibrium with her. Even more so for miss Schnee to figure out a way to temper the Rose semblance by mixing her own aura within Azura's."

Azura didn't know that what Weiss had done was like that. Maybe she didn't want to explain it all to him.

Ruby seemed taken aback. "You mean...that Azura nearly died?"

Ozpin sighed again. "Yes. But it is no one's fault other than the natural process of a soul bond. Summer had no idea that it was even happening. She was just like Azura, asleep and unable to do anything."

"_Well...that's a comforting thought. And he's saying this to my daughter, why?"_

Azura coughed to bring Ozpin's attention away from Ruby. "If you don't mind me asking, but why are you telling us about what could have been? Aren't we past the idea of a soul bond killing me?"

"We are." Ozpin agreed, continuing after a moment. "But, while I have not found a way to reverse your situation, I do know that it is likely that it could kill one of you. I just want to warn you about the possibility, should I find a way. Also, if you haven't noticed, you have mastered the ability to keep your semblance up without revealing any ghost."

Azura looked down at his hands, then looked back up at the man in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if my theory is correct, then it is your semblance that is keeping this in balance. There is a chance that deactivating it would separate you and Summer, but it is also possible that doing that would start to kill you, Azura."

Ruby seemed to have finally snapped out of her silence, raising her voice. "Enough about the getting killed part! I can't stand it! If Azura has to live with my own mother in his head, then that's okay!"

She rushed off to the elevator, letting it take her down and away from the room. Azura felt his heart tighten as Summer sighed, much sadder than she had ever seemed since their talk about her wanting to die. That dark night as they looked out across the cliffs of Beacon towards Vale is imprinted in Azura's memory, he was confident about that.

"Headmaster...before I go running off after my friend, I need to know. How would my semblance being deactivated cause me to start dying?"

Ozpin tapped his fingers on the desk as he responded. "Well, I think it would end up damaging your soul. Possibly beyond repair. So, whatever you do, just wait for me to find an actual safe way to do this."

"Of course. We can wait."

Ozpin looked like he had aged several years within just a second. "Thank you, Azura. And you, Summer and Luna. I ask that you trust me on this."

"Of course. We trust you." Azura said with a smile.

Once the elevator doors closed again, Azura let his smile vanish as Summer spoke.

"_Not like we have much of a choice."_

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Ruby was sitting on the bench right outside of Beacon tower, shoulders hunched as she slowly kicked her legs back and forth, gazing down at the ground. Azura quickly glanced at Luna, shook his head, and sat down next to the dark red haired girl.

"Hey, Ruby." He asked, relaxing against the back of the bench, staring off towards the horizon.

"Hey." She softly replied.

A long moment of silence followed, with Azura knowing that it would be best to wait for her to be comfortable enough to say something.

"Do you know why Weiss decided to help you with your semblance issue?" Ruby asked, breaking the silence.

It wasn't the topic that Azura thought would get brought up, but he was willing to entertain the question.

"Other than being nice to someone she might see as a friend?"

Ruby smiled lightly. "Well, beyond that. She does see you as a friend, but you have done more than that. In a way, you brought Blake back to us. So did Sun, but we haven't seen him around since then. Anyway, Weiss really does appreciate what you did, even if she doesn't show it."

Azura thought about what Weiss had said before, about how everyone seemed to have crazy things happen to them. "Well, that's nice of her."

Ruby nodded. "It was. But, you should have seen how hard she worked just to see if she could fix your problem. I had to force her to sleep on the night before she figured it out. She just wanted to run some tests to make sure that her calculations were correct." She let out a quiet laugh. "She was actually quite happy when we all saw you with the glyphs, even if she wouldn't tell us what it was for. Honestly, I had no idea why she was so busy scribbling notes down, I just thought that she was making notes for history or something."

"You have all been really kind to me, you know that? You made me an entirely new weapon on top of remaking my own, Yang...well, she taught me something. And Weiss, who figured out the problem with my semblance and made a solution. I need to repay the favor somehow."

"I know how you can repay the favor for me." Ruby said.

"_Ozpin's office." _Summer said, letting the words echo within his own mind.

"Does it have to do...with what happened in Ozpin's office.

Ruby nodded. "I'm sorry for getting angry back there. I just couldn't stand where the conversation was going."

"No, don't worry about that. But, Ruby, even if he finds a way to separate Summer and I...you know that it will be dangerous. I'm in a situation that is rather abnormal." Azura replied.

"Then don't do it."

"What do you mean?" He asked, taken aback.

Ruby sighed. "I don't want to risk having you die just to possibly hear my own mother's voice. Just knowing that she is there is enough for me."

"But...you could have so much more if I just take the leap of faith."

Ruby looked up at Azura, and he could see that she was mad. "Don't be stupid! I refuse to take that risk." Her lip quivered. "And...and I can't do that. Not for my own selfish desire."

She stood up, taking a few steps away from the bench. Azura watched her do so, wondering if it would be best to approach her.

"_Of course it is, dummy. Give my own daughter a damn hug, before I force you to."_

Azura got up from the bench, slowly approaching Ruby. Once he made his way to her, he found himself engulfed in a hug from the girl, who seemingly let go of any emotional control as she did so. He smiled softly, hugging the shorter girl. Eventually, he rested his chin on the top of her head.

Azura chuckled softly. "You know, I just remembered that you're the youngest, but not the shortest of us all."

"Shut up." Ruby said, giggling quietly.

"_I love you, my little rose." _Summer said.

"She loves you, you know that?"

Ruby didn't respond, but he felt her grip tighten.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character Shift)**

**.**

Ozpin sighed as he looked at the sight of one Ruby Rose and Azura Heart hugging.

"At least they will have each other. Those with the silver eyes never tend to have a good ending. Even if Azura's singular silver eye is borrowed from a ghost."

He turned away and moved to his desk, opening yet another drawer within his desk. There was a chess set within, and Ozpin took it out and started to set up the pieces. After a minute of doing so, he was left with a few pieces to the side.

The black pieces had a queen piece, two bishops, and a rook. All eight pawns were out in position.

"I do not know what all of these pieces represent, but I must plan three step ahead and assume that she has taken those steps."

Ozpin then placed his own white pieces. A queen was placed down with delicacy, with three pawns put down in a line in front of it. Two rooks were then placed down, both left alone. A bishop was placed, with a pawn in front of it.

As Ozpin looked back at the pieces, he thought of all that he had.

"A fool king who believes in the dead." He said to himself.

The white king piece was placed next to the queen, and Ozpin smiled to himself as he looked upon the chess board.

"I might have gotten luckier than I anticipated."

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And that's a wrap! For whoever is reading this, I wonder if you can figure out what the chess pieces represent. It's nothing that crazy, I just wanted to play around with Ozpin's weird chess references. **

**I hope you have a good day/evening!**


	18. Like Family

**So, if you keep up with my story at all, you know that I put a new chapter up every Sunday. Obviously, that has not happened this time, sorry about that. I was busy, and then a huge storm came in and I was unable to do anything about that. So, I hope you don't mind a late chapter. I'll still be trying to get chapter 19 up by next Sunday, just so that I can keep on schedule.**

**I hope you enjoy the (late) chapter!**

**Chapter 18: Like Family**

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**July 20th**

**Saturday**

**Cloudy**

"_We'll have to be leaving soon. Remember what Velvet said?" _Summer said, speaking up for the first time this morning.

"_Yeah." _Azura said as he put a shirt on. _"Today is Aurora's birthday. We're going out to Vale to try to find a gift for her, hopefully before it gets too late."_

'_I'm sure we can find something."_

Azura sighed. _"I still don't really know Aurora that well. Not to the same degree that I know you or Ruby. I don't even know Pyra, my own partner, that well!"_

"_Well, Pyra has been busy quite a bit, don't you think? We haven't seen her that often outside of classes and the dorm."_

Azura frowned. _"Do you think she hates it? Just...this whole thing?"_

"_She's still kind to you, Azura. And, you don't seem to notice that she is happiest around you."_

Azura had been wandering around the JNPR dorm, gathering all of the things he would need for the day. And when Summer's words fully registered in his mind, he stopped in his tracks.

"_Really? I hadn't noticed."_

Summer sighed. _"Of course you haven't. You're so good at observing people, but you can't seem to ever pay attention to anything your friends do."_

Azura laughed as he picked his scroll up and put it in his pocket. _"You aren't wrong about that. Perhaps I should pay more attention, then?"_

"_Where would you be without me?" _Summer asked, the flatness in her voice causing Azura to smile.

"_Without a desire to have a different hairstyle. Oh, and with two eyes of the same yellow color instead of one silver eye." _Azura responded.

"_I hate you sometimes."_

Azura shook his head as he opened the door that led out of the JNPR dorm, bumping into Weiss, who seemed to have been waiting for him. Her arms were crossed, and her ice blue eyes pierced into his softer ones.

"Uh, hello. Can I help you with something, Weiss?"

"I need to check up on the glyphs, to see if they are working perfectly. Also, to see if any adjustments need to be made. I hope you aren't too busy."

"_As demanding as ever." _Summer said, amusement in her voice.

"Well, I have something to do, but it's still pretty early in the morning, so it can wait. Do you want me to go into your dorm?"

"Yes, please. It should only take a few minutes or so." Weiss responded.

They entered the RWBY dorm, and Azura noticed that it had stayed the same since the last time he had been in the dorm room.

"_There was a last time?" _Summer said.

"_Um, yes? It was a while ago, you just weren't there for either of those times."_

Luna had already taken to watching from a corner of the room, keeping the door within eye contact. Weiss was standing next to one of the lower beds, looking over at him.

"I should only need to check the wrists, ankles, and cheek glyphs. The center one is probably still going good. You should know when it weakens anyway."

Azura sat down on the bed, and when prompted by Weiss, extended his right arm out towards her. She took it into her hand, studying it intently. They were quiet for a moment before Weiss spoke.

"So, I heard that Ruby told you about why I helped you with your semblance issue."

"How did you find out about that?" Azura asked.

Weiss gave a small smile. "She blabbed about it yesterday when it was just the two of us. Something about not thinking about what she was saying."

Azura chuckled as Weiss switched to his other arm. "That sounds like Ruby."

"Well, I have no reason to hide the truth behind her words. I really can't thank you enough for helping to keep my team together." Weiss said after a moment.

"Even with Yang? She's seemed rather different recently."

Weiss frowned for a moment. "Well, Yang is fine with most of us. It's just you, or maybe your situation. I'm unsure, and she won't say anything about it."

"Has Ruby said, uh, anything about Ozpin to Yang within the past few days?" Azura asked, probing for insight into team RWBY.

"The headmaster? Not to my knowledge. Does it have anything to do with what happened a few days ago?" And let me get your legs."

Azura dropped his arms and lifted one of his legs to rest against his knee, rolling the leg of his jeans up a little.

"No, it's nothing to worry about." Azura said.

"Right." Weiss said, unconvinced.

They remained silent for the rest of the process, but Azura had to admit that he felt awkward staring at Weiss right in her face as she was leaning forward, checking the glyph on his face. Her studious and intelligent eyes were as sharp as jagged ice and as cold as snow, but they held neither as she gently tapped the glyph on his cheek.

A few minutes later, Weiss leaned away and blinked a few times as she turned to look out the window.

"Well, everything seems to be intact and stable, so I can let you off the hook. Just remember that I'll be doing this every Saturday from now on."

"Right. Thanks again, Weiss. I'll be sure to pay you back for this at some point." Azura said.

Weiss scoffed. "You don't owe me anything, you dolt."

Azura laughed as he opened the door. "I'm not going to just let my friends not get paid back for helping me out. You have a problem? I'll help you." He moved outside the door, but quickly turned to look back in. "Oh, and that's Ruby's nickname, Ice Queen. Gotta be smarter than that!"

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As Azura made it to the airship docks, he found Ruby leaning against a light post. And, like any friend who sees someone they know, Azura approached her.

"What're you doing here, Ruby?" He asked.

Ruby opened her eyes and pushed off of the light post, smiling brightly as she looked at him.

"Well, to join you, of course."

"What?"

"Velvet told me about today, and how she wasn't able to go with you to get a birthday gift for Aurora. So, I said that I would join you, if only to make sure you weren't alone."

Azura looked to the side, looking at Luna, then thought of Summer in his head. Apparently, Ruby understood what his silence meant.

"You know what I mean! Now, come on, the airship is about to leave."

Ruby walked off, with what looked like confidence in Azura letting her come with him. As he jogged to catch up to her, Summer commented on it.

"_It's weird to see her with the confidence of Weiss. It's a bit creepy."_

Azura didn't respond to Summer, just finding a place to sit with Ruby as they waited for the airship to start moving. Once it did, Azura spoke up.

"So, Velvet went to you to ask if you would join me? Why?"

Ruby shrugged. "She only gave me two reasons. Said that Aurora liked me enough to ask about me when she last went to the orphanage, and that it reminded her of how Aurora is about you. Beyond that, something about being able to help find a gift."

Azura struggled to not smile and burst out in laughter. Ruby gave him a pout as she looked at him.

"I don't want to hear it! I can help find a gift!"

Azura snickered, coughing a few moments later to stop himself.

"Right, of course. You'll be a great help."

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "You bet that I will."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The first place that they searched ended up having nothing that Azura deemed worthy for Aurora. He wasn't particularly picky, but he wanted to get something that worked. He didn't think Aurora would care for perfection, but he was determined to get something memorable for her.

But, as they went from store to store, seeing gift after gift, they found nothing that they would label as memorable. By this point, it had already hit one in the afternoon, and they had managed to find nothing.

After a few more minutes of searching, they eventually decided to sit somewhere and take a break. They went to a small tea shop that Ruby had said was quite good, finding a few other groups of people sitting at tables, and were eventually seated at their own table.

"Well, this has certainly been a search and a half. When did you even find this place?" Azura asked.

"Tell me about it. And I found it when we were searching all over Vale a few weeks ago. That weird girl, Penny, was helping me when she suggested this place. It helped to calm my nerves." Ruby explained.

"Oh. I see."

Ruby shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about. All in the past, you know?"

Azura smiled. "Right."

"_Some would disagree. Yang and Blake have been avoiding us like the plague."_

"_Summer!"_

"_I'm not wrong."_

Azura sighed. _"You're not. But, you can be rather blunt, you know that?"_

Azura heard her laughter as a waitress approached them, taking their orders. After she left, Ruby looked over at him.

"What's wrong? I heard you sigh, but you looked...well, preoccupied or something."

Azura shook his head. "It's nothing special, just something that I heard."

"Come on, you can tell me. I doubt it's anything that crazy."

"Well, it was about Yang and Blake, with how odd they have been acting towards me."

Ruby looked glum for a moment, before letting a small smile grow, "I don't really understand either of them at the moment. Yang is being all 'not-Yang', and Blake is being all Blake-y. Have you tried talking to one of them?"

Azura smiled sheepishly. "Well, no. I wanted to give Blake some space, and Yang kind of looks angry at my existence."

"I don't know. It's hard to tell with Yang, since she seems just as friendly as ever around us. Even Blake seems to lighten up!" Ruby said with a shrug.

A moment later, the waitress was back with two small cups of warm tea, and a small pot of tea to the side. Taking it into his hands, Azura let the warm cup rest on the table between his palms.

"Well, Blake would be easy to figure out, right?" Azura asked.

"Yep! You've probably been told this several times now, but just talk to her about it. It will be easier that way."

"I certainly have. I kinda have a certain someone's mom in my head."

"And has she said anything about Yang?" Ruby asked.

Azura looked away as he responded. "No, not really. I'm not really sure what to say about Yang's behavior other than to just deal with it. She'll probably go harder during the hand-to-hand combat days, but I can deal with that."

Ruby frowned. "Oh, okay."

They sipped at their tea over the ticking minutes, the increasing awkwardness of it all eventually being broken by Summer.

"_I have yet to see either of you enter a Jewelry store. Any reason why?"_

Azura instantly felt reluctance at the idea.

"_Would Aurora even want any of that?"_

"_Would she care about any present? She just wants to see you, you know." _Was Summer's instant response.

"_I dunno...should I ask Ruby?" _He asked.

Summer sighed. _"If you want to, go ahead. I don't know why you are so hesitant about the idea though."_

Azura looked at Ruby, who was staring at her cup with bored eyes. He smirked at the expression on her face and spoke to her.

"Hey, Ruby. Summer has an idea."

Ruby flinched, surprised, before wrinkling her nose. "It's weird for my friend to call my mom Summer, but...you know, never mind. What's the idea?"

"Jewelry. She said that we haven't entered a single store that deals with jewelry, and suggested that we give it a try."

Ruby looked away, a smile on her face. "I'll admit, the idea didn't cross my mind."

"Neither did I." Azura said, chuckling.

He wasn't sure why Ruby looked like she had done something regarding the jewelry suggestion.

"Do you think that might be the next place to go, Azura?"

He shrugged. "It's worth a shot, I guess."

"Then let's go now!"

And with that, Ruby zoomed off in excitement. A bewildered waiter approached him, asking if everything was okay. Azura glanced to where Ruby went, then to the silent laughing of Luna, then over to the waiter.

"Yeah, just great. I'll pay for the two of us."

After a minute of paying and tipping, Azura made his way out of the shop, looking for Ruby. The girl had somehow managed to control herself and stay relatively still.

"Well? Let's get going!" Ruby exclaimed, her excitement still barely contained.

"Why are you so excited for jewelry? I thought you didn't care for that stuff." Azura said.

"Weiss forced me to enter one that she said was perfect. It was quiet, and the owner was really nice. I think we should try that one! It's about five minutes from here!"

"What? Ruby, this is hardly the area where that store might be." Azura said, skeptical of her ability to accurately tell time.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Azura, semblances!"

She zipped right off, rose petals flying down the nearly empty sidewalk towards what he assumed was her destination. Summer sighed, and he felt the restrained movements of Summer wanting to catch up. Azura grinned, speaking to Summer in his head.

"_You ready to go?"_

"_Always." _Summer replied.

Azura ran off, allowing Summer to trigger in semblance, and he was off like a rocket, his own rose petals flying everywhere. Luna was struggling to keep up, but her own semblance helped to keep her boosted within the air, about five feet behind Azura. They eventually caught up to Ruby, following after her as the humming of Weiss's glyphs quietly played in his ears.

"_This'll never get old." _Azura said, dodging walking pedestrians.

"_Just wait until we get faster. It gets even better."_

"_That sounds fun. You think I could do an adaptation of your whole dancing thing?"_

Summer laughed. _"My fighting style? Maybe. You already have the technique, but not the speed or skill at the moment. Perhaps in the future."_

"_Sounds great."_

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Block after block, dodging person after person, They eventually ended up at the shop that Ruby had raced off towards. A sign was on the front of the store, simply saying 'Jewel'. A simple name, but it got the point across.

Seeing that Ruby had already entered the store, Azura had no choice but to follow after her, running a hand through his windswept hair. Once he entered the store, he was greeted by bright lights and pale yellow walls with simple white designs.

"Welcome to Jewel. I'm the owner of this place, Jewel!" The man at the counter said, laughing heartily

He was short and slightly pudgy, but looked rather jolly and happy. He stood behind the counter, smile plastered on his face, brown curly hair matching his brown eyes.

"Now. Can I help you today?" Jewel asked.

"Not at the moment. Just browsing." Ruby said.

Jewel simply waved it off. "Of course, of course! Take your time."

"_He's a little creepy." _Summer commented.

Azura answered as he walked further into the store._ "Just a little."_

The store gave off an atmosphere that reminded him of the Adel Boutique. It was open and friendly, simply having jewelry for people to look at locked behind glass cases. In all ways, it was just a regular store. Even as he looked around, the prices behind quite a bit of the jewelry was within his budget.

Quiet and unassuming as well. Azura understood why Weiss would like such a place. If he were to take a guess, he assumed that Weiss liked this place due to her status as the heiress to the SDC. Perhaps she liked her fame less than it would seem. Looking through the jewelry as he thought, Azura simply had no idea if any of this would work. He was personally doubtful of it, thought it seemed that Ruby and Summer were more confident.

"_Nothing popping out to you?" _Summer asked.

"_Not so far. If anything, I want something memorable. Aurora deserves something, you know?"_

"_I agree. Just don't take too long."_

A few minutes later, after blanking out as he stared at a piece of jewelry, he felt a hand press against his arm. Blinking a few times, he turned his head to see Ruby looking at him with a smile on her face.

"What's up?"

"Just follow me."

Listening to her words, Azura followed her over to a corner, wondering about what she wanted to show him. What he ended up seeing slightly shocked him. It was almost like fate to find something so perfect for what he wished for.

It was two bracelets made of silver chain links, and the piece on the two of them was almost weirdly perfect. One of them had a silver looking fox outline, while the other had a snake outline.

"This is almost...too perfect."

Ruby's eyes widened and she seemed to almost panic for a moment. "Well, it's certainly a good coincidence!"

Azura smiled softly. "Yeah. A good coincidence."

"_You think she knew about this?"_

"_I think Velvet helped along the way. I still appreciate her going out of her way for Aurora and myself." _Azura said.

"_Certainly. Well, play along with her charade for now. It's cute."_

"_Sounds like motherly bias to me." _Azura responded jokingly.

The conversation was cut short by Jewel's interruption. "Ah! Is this something that you have been looking for?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." Azura said.

"Alrighty then! Let's get you ready to go!"

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

It was three in the afternoon by the time Azura and Ruby was in front of the now familiar door to the orphanage. He was already wearing the silver snake bracelet on his right wrist, the metal resting comfortingly against his skin. In his hand, a soft box that held the fox bracelet was closed.

For some reason, he felt nervousness seem to root him to the ground. He breathed in and out heavily, letting it take the butterflies in his stomach with it. Ruby was looking at him with a patience that he had only seen in Luna and Summer. It filled him reassurance, like she knew exactly how he felt. She probably did.

"Let's go."

They made their way to the door, and Azura knocked on it with his free hand. A moment of waiting, and a few locks later, the door was opened. Lu stuck her head out, smiling as she saw Azura and Ruby.

"Come on in. She's been expecting you."

They entered the building, with Lu closing the door after them. Lu turned back around, a warm smile on her face.

"You look different, Azura. Did something happen?"

Azura glanced over at Ruby, who seemed to not have an answer to that question. He turned back to Lu, scratching the back of his head as he laughed.

"Just a dare of sorts. I'm sure you know how us kiddos are."

Lu waved him off. "I'm not that old. But yes, I do know how you kiddos are."

Ruby spoke up a moment later. "Aurora's not sleeping, is she? I hope we haven't come at a bad time."

"She's taking a nap, but I hardly think she would mind being woken up by you two. Head on over to her room whenever, I have something to take care of in my office."

Lu walked off, and Azura and Ruby made their way to the center room. What they saw there shocked Azura. Or rather, what they didn't see shocked him. The room was about as barren and simple as it always was. He knew there was probably a reasonable explanation for it, but he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of anger at the sight.

Azura shook his head, moving towards where Ruby was standing. Moving down the hallway towards Aurora's room, he moved with confidence in his step. He needed Aurora to know that he thought of her.

"_You sound like a parent. I like it."_

He smiled at Summer's words. It made him feel like he was doing something right. He made it to Aurora's door, and looked over at Ruby. She smiled and nodded her head. He knocked lightly at the door, but it was enough for him to hear the light groan of someone waking up. He shook his head in amusement, and waited. It took a few moments, but a groggy looking Aurora did end up opening the door.

Her eyes struggled to adjust to the light, and her hair was matted, but she eventually recognized Azura and Ruby.

"Azura? Why are you so...confusing?" She said quietly, her voice sounding strained.

Pocketing the box with the bracelet, he thought of her semblance, and how that would probably confuse anyone who could see that. He did have two souls within one body, after all.

He smiled. "That's a long story, but not one for today. Happy birthday, Aurora."

She coughed as she tried to speak, choosing to rush towards Azura and hugging him. He chuckled, crouching down slightly to hug her back.

"Can you get a glass of water, Ruby? I promise to wait for you-know-what."

Ruby nodded, rushing off in her usual fashion, a flurry of rose petals. Azura shook his head, glad for the fact that the rose petals quickly decayed and vanished within seconds.

He turned back to look at Aurora, who had unlatched herself from his side, and was now smiling and looking happier than he could recall.

"Can we enter your room?"

She nodded quickly, rushing back into the room and turning the overhead light on. He entered after her, sitting down in the lone chair in the room. Ruby returned exactly as she left, the glass of water somehow perfectly fine, despite the speed that she ran at.

The next few minutes was just the general excitement that Aurora had, and he watched Aurora and Ruby play a game of talking excitedly. He had no idea how either of them could even do that, and it was probably one of the cutest things he saw.

"_And you called it motherly bias." _Summer teased.

"_Yeah, yeah. You got me there." _He responded.

"_Well, you should probably stop them. Remember that you came here for more than to see her."_

Azura knew she had a point, and he smiled as he thought about it.

"Aurora, come here. I have something for you."

She practically snapped her head as she heard him speak. She stood up and moved to be in front of him. Ruby also stood up and went to stand next to Aurora. Azura waited a moment more as her pink eyes bored into him like a drill. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the box. He handed it over to the girl, watching her take it.

She tilted her head as she looked at it, opening it a moment later. Her eyes widened as she looked at the fox bracelet that was within it. She took it out and let the box drop to the ground.

"And that's not all. Look at this."

He extended his arm out to the girl, showing off the matching snake bracelet on his wrist. He took the fox bracelet out of her hand and gently grabbed her left arm. He took the bracelet and slipped it on her wrist. He almost laughed at the near perfect fit, the snake bracelet seeming to fit a slightly bigger arm, probably similar to Ruby's.

"_My little rose put a lot of effort to make sure this all worked out."_

"_Yeah…"  
_

Aurora, now teary-eyed, barely gave him time to stand up before hugging him.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

He hugged her back, and he nodded his head at Ruby, motioning her to join them. Once she did, Azura smiled as he quietly spoke to Aurora.

"Anything for you."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As Azura and Ruby rode the airship back to Beacon, he felt like he had managed to do what he set out to do on this day. Azura was sitting back in one of the seats, while Ruby leaned against his shoulder and yawned.

"So, how much time did you put into making this day work for me?"

Ruby smiled as she kept her eyes closed. "You figured it out?"

"It wasn't that hard to see."

"Oh...well, it was only three or four days before today. Not that long."

Azura shook his head. "Thanks, Ruby. Yet again, I owe it to you for something."

"I just did what anybody would do."

"Well, if I can do anything to help you, let me know."

A comfortable silence went on for a little while before Ruby next spoke.

"Carry me to my dorm, and we'll be good."

Azura chuckled. "Of course."

"_You know, she really reminds me of myself."_

"_A little egotistical, don't you think?"_

Summer's light laughter echoed in his mind. _"I suppose it would be."_

"_Still, it's true. I can really see it." _Azura said.

"_I want to thank you, Azura." _Summer said

"_What for? I haven't really done anything." _He replied, confused.

"_For helping me to believe in life again. It's been...well, it's been hard for me to see that in recent years. I just want to thank you for helping me see that there might be hope."_

Azura didn't know how to respond, simply letting the silence rule over them.

"_You don't have to say anything. I know. We both know."_

Azura smiled, feeling more prepared for whatever life will throw him than ever.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there it is. Not much to say down here this time, so it'll be very brief.**

**Have a good day/evening!**


	19. Shadow Plans

**So, here we are once more. Not much to say in regards to this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 19: Shadow Plans**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**July 27th**

**Saturday**

**Clear**

"You still haven't talked to Blake at all?!" Weiss exclaimed in surprise, stopping whatever she was doing with the glyphs on Azura's body to stare at him.

Azura felt a slight spark of shame run through him. Something about those oh so cold eyes that Weiss possessed always made him feel like a kid who just got in trouble.

"Well, no." he said meekly.

The pale girl frowned. "And why is that? Did you not say that you would talk to her?"

Her grip on his wrist tightened, warning him of her already building annoyance. If Azura didn't know any better, he would say something dumb right about now.

"I did say I would talk to her at some point."

The sigh that Weiss let out told him he still said something dumb. "You're really unintelligent."

"Ouch." Azura said, responding to the insult.

"_She has a point. You have no sense of timing." _Summer said.

"Double ouch."

Weiss returned to her task of touching the glyph on his wrist as she sighed again. Azura decided that it would probably do him good to promise to talk to Blake.

"Okay, okay. Will you forgive me if I try to find Blake and talk to her about it?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "It would certainly help in making the atmosphere between our teams much better, even if Blake hasn't exactly been the one to cause tension."

"Is Yang still being grumpy?" Azura said, joking once more.

"Try and think seriously for once, will you? Yang continues to get aggravated by you, and poor Ruby can't even talk about you in her presence."

Azura frowned. "I still don't know what I did to anger her. At least she kind of contains herself in the hand-to-hand combat classes…" 

Weiss shook her head. "My theory is that it was because you never thought to mention that you knew the ghost of their mother was there, or that it took so long for you to even reveal your semblance, which just so happened to be able to let them see their mother."

"_A part of her anger is because I was scared." _Summer said, shamefully.

"_That's not your fault." _Azura quickly reassured.

Her silence wasn't comforting, but he couldn't worry about that at the moment. Weiss was still waiting for his response.

"I suppose that's a possibility. I can't really just talk to her about it, you know."

"No, I know that. Me and Ruby have been trying to get her to talk about it, so I guess that this isn't your problem just yet."

"Thanks, Weiss. Your help these past few weeks has been great."

Her cheeks were tinged pink from his sincerity. "Yeah...of course. It's what friends are for."

Azura chuckled at her embarrassment. "I guess I can actually get a reaction from you. Man, it would kill Jaune if he knew this."

Weiss scoffed. "Please, he's oblivious enough as it is. He wouldn't even know."

Azura laughed. "Are you turning him down at all?"

"He's only tried to get me on a date with him twice, both of which I denied. He isn't that bad about it, but I simply have no interest."

"I'm a bit surprised that the heiress doesn't think that Jaune is after her fame and money." Azura said with a smirk.

Weiss rolled her eyes and moved to his other wrist. "Why would I think that? The blonde oaf didn't even know what my last name meant when he first met me. You would think he grew up with this kind of knowledge."

Azura laughed nervously, thinking of how he grew up on Luna's life lessons and still didn't pay attention to the news to this day. "Er, right."

Luna was behind Weiss, looking completely fine despite knowing what the look that Azura was giving her meant.

"If you are looking at your mother after giving me such a response, I'm going to facepalm and question how you manage to function in society."

Azura shook his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "Nope. I'm a perfect and functional member of society."

"Then do you know how much trouble the staff at Beacon had to go through to help slide the event at the docks as students simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time? They had to classify most of it just because of it." Weiss said, saying this while still doing what she was doing with the rune.

She glanced up at Azura, only to see him blink once and remain silent. She didn't facepalm like she said she would, but she did sigh heavily.

"You're hopeless."

Azura chuckled. "That's why we have you, Weiss!"

"I am not your babysitter!" She responded indignantly.

"But Weiss, we would be hopeless without you. We'd drown in society if we didn't have our fair heiress to save us!"

"Shut up." Weiss said, unable to keep the amusement in her voice. "I need to focus on the glyphs."

A few moments passed by in silence before Azura spoke again.

"So, what are you doing? You're taking longer than usual this time."

Weiss finished up with his wrist before leaning forward and grabbing his jaw and tilting his head to see the glyph on his cheek. She spoke up once she started the process she did on his ankles and wrists.

"I'm loosening the grip, so to say, of the glyphs to allow for a slight bit more speed. If I had to guess, you would be going from around forty-eight miles per hour to maybe sixty. I don't want to make it go too high, otherwise you'll just end up losing control of it again."

A few minutes pass by as Weiss continued tinkering away at the glyph. Azura had to admit that he actually liked these moments of peace, where nothing of major importance was happening. It was comforting to have these moments again.

"Well, if you didn't know, everyone was going to meet up at the library soon enough. Something about 'bonding with friends', from what Ruby and Jaune said. I doubt that Yang or Blake are coming, so I wanted to invite you."

Azura smiled, since he was unable to really speak, trying to stay still for her.

"Good. It'll do us some good to be normal for once."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The library carried the same air of excitement as it usually did. It was late in the afternoon, so the librarian couldn't do much to stop the chatter of students as they lingered around at the tables.

In every sense of the word, it felt like a normal day for any student. Not that Azura knew much of what life as a student entailed still, but he felt like he had a grasp of the idea after a few months.

"_With the way you think about these things, you make it seem like Luna did a terrible job of teaching you." _Summer said.

"_Yeah, yeah. She was an excellent teacher, Summer." _Azura said as he followed Weiss through the library towards where everyone was sitting.

"_I'm aware. As much as Glynda might like to say you are being aided by a grown huntress or two, you have your own merits."_

The praise brought a small blush to his cheeks. He wasn't expecting that to be Summer's response.

"_Thanks, Summer."_

"_Of course. Now, pay attention to your friends. I'll be here if you need me."_

Azura finally came back to focus when they made it to the table that everyone was sitting at. There was an open spot next to Pyra and another next to Ruby. Weiss sat next to her own partner, while Azura took the other seat next to Pyra. As he sat down, he finally noticed that Remnant: The Game was sitting on the table again, this time with just the box.

"Do you guys just not own any other game?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. This one is fun anyway!"

"Right." Azura said in a deadpan way.

"Well, we still have to set it up. It should only take a few minutes." Jaune said, motioning for Ruby to help him set up.

As that was happening, Pyra spoke to him, quietly enough for him to realize that it was semi-private.

"Hey, partner. We haven't really had time to sit down and talk recently, have we?"

Azura smiled lightly. "Well, I know you've been busy with something. Which, speaking of…"

Pyra cut him off midway. "I haven't said much about it, I know. It's...I can't say. You don't need to get involved with it."

Azura frowned. "You know you can talk to me about these things, Pyra. I'm your partner, and we should help each other out."

"I know that, and I am grateful to have you as my partner, but I really can't tell you. I just don't want this to hurt the trust built between us."

Azura grabbed at her hand comfortingly. "It won't, I promise. I just worry about you, you know that."

Pyra smiled. "Of course. Thank you, Azura."

"_Watch your eleven." _Summer said suddenly.

Just as sudden as her words, Azura dropped Pyra's hand and snapped his head to where Summer said. Blake was standing there like a deer in headlights, and he could only assume that she was planning to be here before seeing him. She stiffly turned around and walked away like she was just now leaving.

Azura looked over at Weiss, seeing that she had noticed his sudden change in demeanor, while Pyrrha merely looked between the two of them with concern. He mouthed the word 'Blake' to Weiss and she sighed lightly, before hardening her gaze on him. He understood the point.

"Go catch up to her." It said.

Azura stood up in his seat, surprising Ruby, Jaune, and Pyra.

"Sorry, I have to do something. It just popped up."

Jaune brushed it off as easily as he did with mostly everything, merely trusting Azura's words. Ruby frowned slightly, but nodded anyways. Pyra was looking at him, her face showing a veiled disappointment. It made him frown and feel bad, but he had to stop putting this talk with Blake off.

"Sorry, Pyra. Just think of it as me believing in your intelligence!" He said with a smile.

Pyra returned it, not looking as rejected as she just was. Luna was already moving to where Blake had once been and was possibly going, and now it was his time to follow Luna. He moved swiftly, knowing that it would be better to try to keep up with Luna this time.

By the time he made it outside, Luna was quickly making her way towards the right of the library. The only place that Azura could think of in that direction was the private gardens, which made this hunt a lot easier than he thought it would be.

As Azura jogged his way to the private gardens, he wondered how he would manage to get Blake to stay and talk to him. Once he made it to the closest entrance to the private gardens, he decided that being direct with her might be best. Just ask her to stay and talk, and she might be willing to say yes.

But, once he made it to the bench he usually sat at whenever he was here, he saw that no one was there.

"Okay...I'm lost."

He looked around, noticing a place further back in the gardens beyond the decently tall hedges that were around the bench. He squinted, and was just able to see Blake looking at him from a small gazebo. Luna was next to her, floating just above the ground as she usually did.

"_She's done with running it seems." _Azura said to Summer.

"_Let's hope that is the case." _Summer replied.

Azura walked to the gazebo, trying his best to look as calm and letting her take in his every action. He could see her fingers lightly tapping against the wood of the gazebo, almost seeming nervous. About thirty seconds later, Azura entered the decently large gazebo, and Blake continued to look off towards the sky from where she was. He could see her still frame as she looked out, her black hair flowing in the wind. To Azura, it was the most calm he had seen Blake in two weeks.

"I always run from my problems, you know."

Azura remained silent as he looked at Blake, listening to her speak.

"I ran from the White Fang, my Faunus heritage, my team." She breathed out heavily. "My family."

She leaned forward on the railing, letting her hands hang in the air. "And now, I've been running from something that I caused…"

"Blake...this isn't your fault." Azura said, finally speaking.

Blake laughed, the sound hollow. "There's no need to sugarcoat it, Azura. The chain of events that lead up to you getting first injured, then put in a situation like this, is entirely my fault. There's no avoiding that."

Azura licked his lips before responding. "No one thinks that this is your fault, Blake. Not even I think any of this was your fault."

"And how is that possible? I dragged you into that situation when I ran away."

"I went willingly, Blake. I did that of my free will, and nothing more. Nothing but my own decision got me hurt and a ghost in my head." Azura said, taking a step towards Blake.

"Don't lie…" She replied quietly.

He took another step. "You are my friend Blake. Why would I not help you when you needed help?"

Two more steps. "I don't regret doing that. I know Luna doesn't hate you for my own mistake. Summer and I have this situation under control. There's no reason to blame yourself for any of this."

Just as he stood only three steps away from Blake, she quickly spun to face him with anger blazing in her eyes.

"I said to not lie!" She hissed, stepping towards him. "If I wasn't such a coward in the first place, this wouldn't even be a thing!" Another step. "And you have it under control? That's not what Ruby said! From what I see, you are living only because of headmaster Ozpin, who is a powerful huntsman, and your semblance remaining active!"

She clenched her fists and bit her lip as she was in front of him. Even with being taller, Azura had to admit to being intimidated by Blake when she was emotional.

"And you know what would have stopped all of that? Me! I could have made it so that this never happened! You were hurt because I was scared, put in a situation that has no reason to exist!"

Her anger seemingly sated as her eyes lost their furious energy and became much more tired. Azura was shocked. He had never seen Blake in such a state of emotion outside of her arguments with Weiss.

He gently reached out with his hand, having it be slapped away weakly by Blake. Keeping his hands by his sides, Azura shook his head and lightly sighed.

"Blake, there's no way that you knew that any of this would happen. You are blaming yourself because of hindsight."

When Blake didn't respond, Azura sighed again and continued.

"Look, it just isn't fair to yourself if you just blame everything on something you did. I'm not going to tell you how you should have acted, but I want to suggest something that you can do to help me."

Blake looked at him, her amber eyes hopeful. She truly wanted to repent for something she thought had to be repented for.

Azura smiled softly. "Forgive yourself. Because I forgive you, and I don't think you would want to ruin that."

The confusion in her eyes soon gave way to relief, a small smile making its way on her face. She leaned forward, the top of her head lightly hitting his chest as she sighed.

No words were exchanged, but Azura felt like Blake just needed to release her pent up emotions to truly continue on without shaming herself over his situation. He just hoped that it was enough to give her a desire to continue the trend of not blaming herself for things out of her control.

Twenty minutes later, and they were leaning on the same part of the gazebo that Blake was originally on. They sat in a comfortable silence, one that neither was too willing to give up any time soon. But, even the quiet bookworm of the group had a limit on how much silence she liked.

"Hey, Azura. About Yang…"

Azura glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "Hm?"

"I think I know why she might be acting the way she is."

Azura raised an eyebrow. "You cracked the code before our resident Ice Queen?" 

Blake rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face. "Not exactly. This is still very much a guess. Do you remember what she said after the fight at the docks?"

"Um, no? I wasn't exactly there, you know?"

"Well, she was suspicious of Summer. Seemed almost to not trust any movement that was made. I think it might be possible that she thinks that Summer is doing something to you. And, to be fair, what the two of you have is kinda close to some examples of possession."

"Oh." He said simply.

They had thought of that as a possibility, but brushed it off almost as quickly as they thought of it. To see it possibly be the case almost scared him.

"Thank you, Blake. I trust you to know Yang more than us. You are her partner after all."

Blake nodded. "Of course. Well, I think I should leave you alone with your thoughts. I'll see you at dinner, right?"

Azura nodded and smiled. "You will. Thanks for the talk, Blake."

He watched her walk off, her stance much less rigid and uptight than before. Less stressed than it was in the past few days. Once she left his vision, he felt a frown pull at his lips and sat down on the nearby bench inside the gazebo. Her words troubled him, since it made him even more unsure of how to try to get Yang to talk to him.

"_It's a little hard to take in, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah...I'm sorry, Summer."_

"_So am I, kid. So am I."_

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura blinked open his eyes, feeling a hand gently pushing his shoulder. Shaking his head as he sighed softly, he looked around and took in his surroundings. The area was still full of light, but it was easy to tell that it was creeping towards twilight. Focusing more on his immediate surroundings, he found Pyrrha looking down at him, amusement glittering in her green eyes and red hair splayed out, still in a ponytail.

"Hey, sleepyhead." She said.

Azura groaned as he fully sat up. "Hey, yourself. And who are you calling sleepyhead? I wake up nice and early every morning with you."

Pyrrha smiled. "Yet you are the one who always naps. What other nickname would I have for you?"

"Well, I always find myself in an awkward or bad situation since I came to Beacon. Surely that counts?" He replied jokingly.

Pyrrha frowned, possibly missing the joke. "Well, you're back down to just one, right?"

Azura nodded. "Yeah...me and Blake had our talk. Now it's just Yang."

Pyrrha shifted and moved to sit next to him. "Is there anything I can do to help with that?"

"This is something that me and Summer will have to fix."

"I know that. But, I can still help. We're all a little unsure of why she is being this way." She said.

The white and red haired boy shook his head. "Blake thinks that it might have something to do with my situation specifically. She guessed that Yang thinks that Summer is doing something to me. Something like possession."

Pyrrha was silent for a few moments, processing the information. When she did so, she just seemed to be left with more questions.

"Does it have anything to do with that talk you and Ruby had with Ozpin?"

Azura tilted his head. "What do you mean? She's been angry for a while."

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, I know that. But, I know that Ruby has been slightly jumpy since then, and I know that she told her team about it. I don't have the details, but if it was something bad enough to shake Ruby up, then wouldn't that fuel Yang's thought process about your situation?"

"That's...true. That's very true."

"Hey, Azura?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you tell us these things? I had to practically beg Ruby to tell me what was wrong."

Azura stayed silent for a few moments, unsure of how to describe why he didn't tell anyone. He let out a sigh, shrugged, and frowned.

"It's just how I am. It's usually just me, Luna, and now Summer that learn these things. Maybe I don't think it's worth it to make anyone worry. Maybe I only trust Luna and Summer. I don't really know what to tell you, sorry."

"No...it's okay. I just wish you would be more willing to share with your own team. We went over this before you and Blake made your escape, but I feel like I haven't done enough to try and bridge that gap. I can't expect you to do it alone."

They sat in silence as they let the words sit in the air. The sun slowly continued to set over the next few minutes, and the occasional breeze flicked Pyrrha's hair towards the side of his head. The peaceful nature of the private gardens was in full effect, and Azura couldn't help but smile as he thought of it.

"Why don't we work towards fixing that? Go ahead, ask me a question."

"Only if you ask one back."

"Fine."

Pyrrha cleared her throat before asking her question. "Was it hard? Growing up the way that you did."

Azura shrugged. "Well, growing up wasn't hard, that's for sure. But, with the outside education guy coming to a place like Beacon, it feels a lot different. It can be hard to keep track of everything. What about you? You were apparently famous, did that make it hard growing up?"

Pyrrha chuckled softly. "No, not that bad. It wasn't great, but it was far from horrible. It was just...suffocating? I didn't feel like I was old enough and ready enough for something like fame. Now, less serious this time. Favorite class?"

"Combat class. It doesn't bore me half to death. You?"

"I prefer history. My matches are typically just against Yang or Weiss...it's a bit boring at times to not have any change in opponent. And I get to watch Jaune doodle on his paper. He might still be learning as a fighter, but he knows how to draw."

"Oh? You've been watching him, have you?" Azura smirked as he spoke.

Pyrrha blushed. "I, uh…"

Azura laughed. "I'm just kidding, Pyrrha."

"Er, r-right." Pyrrha responded, laughing nervously.

Azura got up and stretched. "Well, you woke me up. What do ya say to getting some food?"

Pyrrha shook her head and laughed again. "Sounds good to me."

As they left the gazebo, Azura smiled and bumped his shoulder against hers.

"Maybe you can sit next to Jaune and cuddle with him."

"Azura!" Pyrrha said, a light blush creeping up her cheeks.

His laughter filled the empty area. It just felt good to still have these normal moments between all of the crazy.

**.**

**.(Character Shift)**

**.**

Neo waltzed into the office of the warehouse that she and Roman were currently using as their base of operations. The man had just gotten out of a meeting of that Cinder woman, and he leaned against the table with a lit cigar in his hand. The bags under his eyes showed signs of exhaustion, and it filled Neo with a need for bloodlust.

She wanted that power-crazy bitch to die. More than anything.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the cane-wielding man spoke to her.

"It's been a long day, Neo. What do ya need?"

The sentence would have seemed like he was annoyed, but Neo had been his partner in crime for so long that she knew he was just stressed. When you have a power-crazy group of people much stronger than you ordering you around, it was bound to happen.

Neo tilted her head, wondering how she could phrase this to Roman. He brought the cigar to his mouth, breathed in, then breathed out the smoke. Neo snapped her fingers as a smile grew on her face.

Roman watched her grab a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled furiously, the handwriting remaining neat. Anyone who said that being mute had no benefits, Neo would just show them how fast she could write or type and have it remain neat and concise. That, or she could just kill them.

"What's all this about, Neo?"

She finished what she was writing and thrusted it towards Roman, who simply grabbed it out of her hand. When he read what she wrote down, his eyes widened for a moment before simply frowning.

"Neo...I know that this was the kid that you were fighting-"

Her glare cut him off.

"I'm not calling a fight 'playing'." He shook his head. "Anyway, I fail to see why exactly you are saying that we should try to get him to help. He's a Beacon student, there is no way he could help, if he even accepted."

Neo threw her hands into the air in annoyance. Why did the mute one always have to spell it out? She took a few moments to write on another piece of paper, once more pushing it towards Roman. The man took another puff of his cigar before grabbing the paper.

Neo certainly hoped that this would make her thought process a bit more clear. She had spelt it out as clearly as she could.

It had said, "That kid was saved by some ghost or something, probably his semblance. He fought like some demon had taken over, or a full grown hunter."

Roman sighed. "I'm still not convinced. The kid still almost lost to you, even if he pulled his semblance out."

Neo ran her hands through her multi-colored hair as she frowned. Another note was sent his way.

"You think he could be of use? I doubt he would be willing to lend any criminal a hand, even if he knew what we did." Roman sighed. "Look, I know you don't act like it, but you are worried about our survival. I am too, Neo."

A momentary pause filled the air as Roman brought the cigar to his mouth again. He spoke once he brought it back down.

"I don't think he would help. No matter how strong he might be, it's a much greater risk to even try it."

Neo grit her teeth, no sound of annoyance coming out. Clearly though, Roman was smarter than that. They did indeed know each other very well.

"Look, I know you don't think I should turn it down just because of a risk, but...a risk like this is too large for what we are trapped in."

Neo tightened her hands into fists, her gloves groaning from the strain. She walked out of the room, feeling her urge to cut something slowly building in the back of her mind. She wanted to show Roman that she could help in more ways than just her illusion and skill, but it seemed that he wasn't willing to even take the risk to see.

"_Looks like I'll just have to take the matter into my own hands." _She thought.

A wicked smile grew on her face at the idea. All she had to do was show something to that kid, be it with intimidation or appealing to his compassion, to get him on their side. No, on her side.

Azura Heart was a name that was carved in her mind, and she wanted nothing more than to break him. To have complete dominance over such a potentially strong person. And if she had to play nice to get that, then she would play nice. The thought pushed her wicked smile into a sadistic one.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**At first, I had no plan for Neo to be any more involved than I needed her for at first, but over time, it just made sense for her to do more than what Neo and Roman were shown to do in the show. At least, to me. I do hope that you liked how Neo was portrayed in this little bit, because she'll be a character that pops up now and again.**

**Have a good day/evening!**


	20. A Strange Encounter

**A chapter, first on a Monday, then one on Saturday? It's one thing after another! Basically, I won't be able to get it up on Sunday, so I have to do it today. Not much to say, just wanted to explain why it's here a day early.**

**I hope you enjoy the early chapter!**

**Chapter 20: A Strange Encounter**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**July 31st**

**Wednesday**

**Rainy**

They were in the middle of combat class when Azura did it. He was told to practice on keeping control of his own movements while in Summer's semblance. To Goodwitch, that just meant that he should practice on coming in and out of the semblance and keep stable instead of having to hit an object.

To Summer, that meant the same thing, but without her phantom movements. It might have been a bit of time since he had last seen Summer's smile, but he wondered if the kindness in it would terrify him more now. The woman was downright scary when instructing him about how he could stop himself without hitting an object or stopping the momentum suddenly.

"_Just think of it as bouncing back! If you push the semblance towards you instead of propelling yourself forward, it'll kill the momentum. It's basic physics, Azura." _Summer had told him.

"Basic physics, she says. I'm calling some serious bull-"

"_Language!"_

"_You aren't even my mom!" _He said, now speaking directly to Summer and not mumbling to himself.

"_But I am a mother. Just not yours. Did Luna never teach you to not swear?" _Summer asked as he went to repeat the exercise again.

Azura didn't enjoy flying off the arena over and over, but he knew it would be worth it if he could have a bit of self-control with Summer's semblance.

"_Well, she wasn't even the one to give me the whole talk about swearing. That was all the Blue family. They kinda raised me after...after I turned eight." _Azura said.

"_This Blue family...can you tell me about them?"_

Azura landed awkwardly and let out a grunt as he landed heavily. Quickly dispelling Pyrrha's concerns, he got up and answered Summer's question.

"_Well, there's grandpa Ronin. He's not my grandfather, but that's what I call him. He's kind and always willing to crack a joke or tell a story. Never believed in ghosts until he saw Luna, it was the funniest thing I saw. Best use of my semblance ever."_

Another failure, but Azura managed to land on his hand and feet this time. It was getting easier with time, but it would be so much easier with Summer's help.

"_Anyone else?" _She asked.

"_Oh, right. Next up would be Corgen, Lucina's father. Corgen was very rarely nice and mostly looked rather annoyed with the world, but he was never mean. I was always told that he had a hard life, so he struggles with trust and showing emotions that much. He was always doing his best to keep Lucina happy, though his huntsman duties can keep him busy. He taught me how to do that Aether trick with my aura and sword, the one I used against Cardin in our spar."_

"_Quite the family already. Happy go lucky grandfather and scarred father. Who's next?"_

He took a moment to hop up and down and stretch his arms as he thought of Sapphire.

"_Sapphire. She is Lucina's mother, and quiet as a mouse. Don't let that fool you though, she's deadly scary when she wants to be. Whenever me and Lucina were in trouble, she would terrify us, not that it ever stopped us. But, she is one of the kindest people I know, and always tried to include me in anything the family did. She taught me the Shield Break trick, aura and all. I still can't believe that worked against Weiss's glyphs in the one and only team fight I was in."_

"_And this Lucina?"_

Azura chuckled quietly after he got back up and went to prepare for another go at stopping himself in Summer's semblance.

"_The only child of the Blue family and my best friend. We exchange letters once a month, so it's not like we haven't spoken to each other recently. Anyway, she's as kind as her mother and without the scary aspects of both parents. She was also trained to use a sword, probably as effectively or more than me, but she always had a knack for medicine. Used to patch me up all the time with all the crazy stunts I pulled off while playing with mother."_

"_Wait...as in, ghost Luna?"_

"_Yep! She would hop around with her semblance and I chased her through and up the trees."_

Summer's response conveyed both her shock and disappointment. _"You are just your mother. Dumb as rocks and as warm as the sun with your kindness."_

"_Hey! We're not dumb, we just have hard heads! At least, Lucina always told me I had a hard head. Besides, being twelve makes you do dumb stuff."_

Taking off after defending himself and Luna, Azura managed to land on his hands and feet decently well. It was the closest he had come to managing to fully stop himself, even if he did still end up falling off the small arena. As he got up, he heard Goodwitch call out over all the students.

"Three minutes for break! Take this time to catch your breath and figure yourselves out before we continue!"

Azura smiled in relief. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle throwing himself off of the arena without a break. Aura or not, it sucked having to keep doing it.

He walked up to the arena, seeing Jaune and Ren talking as they sat next to each other. They had been doing this for a while now, and they had only seen one flag pointing to a semblance. He remembered Jaune describing how he and Ren saw a small stream of his aura start to pull in directions away from his body. They had no idea what it meant, but it was a red flag for a semblance nonetheless.

Nora was laying down, sweating and breathing heavily. Pyrrha was stood a few feet away, also sweating and looking tired. He approached her and she turned around as he got close.

"Oh, hello! Has tumbling down over and over been fun?"

"It's been grand!" He said jokingly, before shaking his head. "No, Summer's been having me talk with her, so it hasn't been that bad."

Pyrrha chuckled and she shook her head. "Being worked to the bone is just how it is when training to be a huntsman."

Azura laughed lightly. "That's true." He looked around, finding that Pyra was nowhere to be found. "Say, hasn't Pyra been missing all day? I know we saw her this morning, but I have not seen her since then."

Pyrrha frowned. "I haven't seen her either. I just hope she isn't doing anything dumb…"

Azura pushed down his own worries building up as he thought about it. "Don't worry. She's a smart girl, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha gave a small smile. "Yeah, of course."

"Well, everything will turn out okay. Break is about to end, so I'll leave you and Nora to it. Try not to make her drop dead, yeah?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "She wanted to try and break past my polarity."

Azura walked off with a laugh. Nora was always the one with the craziest ideas. He stretched as he prepared to end up falling on the floor again.

Which he did. Several times.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

He left the combat halls with Pyrrha and Jaune, feeling tired and like he had just fallen off of a building. With how much he fell off the arena, he made very little progress towards suddenly stopping himself without slowing down or just hitting something with the momentum.

"_You have to stop thinking about it so negatively. Progress isn't made within a day!" _Summer said.

"_Doesn't make my muscles any less stiff from doing it for a few hours."_

Her laughter lightly echoed along his mind. _"Well, progress is progress. You managed to start landing on your hands and knees."_

"_That's true. I have to think about it positively." _Azura said with a smile.

As they walked towards the library to kill some time while waiting for the dinner hours to begin, Azura could have sworn that he saw Pyra walking in the direction of the dorms. He blinked a few times, just in case he was seeing something, but she was still there, walking towards the dorms at a semi-hurried pace.

"Is that Pyra?" He heard Pyrrha ask next to him.

"Yeah, that's her. She's walking to the dorms, right?" Azura asked.

Jaune nodded. "Yes, that seems correct. Do you want to go after her? You might be able to find out why she wasn't in class at all."

Azura shook his head. "I should. Sorry for leaving so soon, but maybe I can get her to dinner in time."

Jaune smiled. "No, it's not a problem. I'll be sure to tell everyone where you went."

"And I'll be sure to stop Ruby from speeding to you. You know how she is." Pyrrha said, continuing after Jaune.

Azura waved them off with a smile before walking in the same direction that he saw Pyra. Alone with his thoughts, as alone as having two ghosts as companions can be, Azura wondered what exactly was taking so much of Pyra's time recently.

He doubted he would get an answer, with how secretive she has been in recent history, despite his efforts. It worried him, but he couldn't do much about it but try to get her to open up. He could still easily remember how she acted when the school semester started. She was happy, and seemed more worried for his problems.

"_It's almost like the two of you have switched places. She doesn't smile as much, does she?" _Summer commented.

"_No. Not since we woke up like this. Honestly, it's like some switch had been flipped ever since the fight with that parasol girl. It's odd." _Azura replied.

With no other option, and not wanting to get lost in his thoughts, Azura broke into a light jog as he saw the entrance to the dorms. Seeing that Pyra was nowhere to be found, Azura figured that she had already made it to the dorm.

A turn here and a glance there, and Azura made it to the JNPR dorm within a minute or two. He breathed in and out quickly, making sure he was prepared to enter the dorm room and talk to his wayward partner. Thinking of what to say, he relaxed his body and knocked on the dorm door. Seeing that it was already unlocked, he opened it without having to use his scroll.

It was dark when he stepped in, which was odd, since he was the only Faunus on team JNPR, so he was the only one with good vision in the dark. Why keep them off if you were entering the room? Shaking his head, he turned the lights on as he closed the door, and frowned in confusion at the sight he was seeing.

Pyra was indeed in the room, but she had the photograph of his mother and himself in her hand. She was staring down at it and almost seemed to not even notice his presence at all. He slowly approached her, calling out to her as he did so.

"Pyra? Are you okay?"

She looked back, her eyes containing no shock. She smiled softly, but it looked slightly crooked to him. He stepped closer and placed his hand on her shoulder. However, the next thing that he knew was that he was on his back and had landed on the nearby bed, that being Pyrrha's bed.

One of his wrists was tightly gripped by one of her hands, and the other was free, and she was straddling his lap as she held him down. A switchblade was taken out of a pocket, and his eyes widened. Once it was flicked to have the knife out, he went to knock it out of her hand before freezing.

The person on top of him was no longer his partner, Pyra Sol. It was the tri-color hair girl that he fought before. And for some reason, seeing that she was here in Beacon drove fear in him. He could do nothing, his semblance not activating and all strength leaving him. The worried voice in his head was tuned out as he couldn't help but remember how she looked at him as she stabbed his shoulder.

He couldn't think straight, and it wasn't until he felt the blade quickly slice against his cheek and for the girl to lick the blood that she drew that he came back to his senses. Quickly, with Summer's semblance, he flung her away with the sudden momentum. He rolled off the bed and silently swore as he grasped at air.

"_The one time I leave my weapons in the locker, this happens."_

He saw that the girl was sitting on her butt and staring at her hands as she sat against the wall near the door. She violently shook her head, the smug look that he remembered nowhere on her face. She threw the switchblade to the side, quickly taking her scroll out, sliding it against the floor towards him after a few moments.

"I came to talk." It read.

"_What? Then why attack you?" _Summer said.

"_Let's ask her. She threw away her only weapon, supposedly."_

"_This is hardly the time to get to know her, Azura! She tried to kill you last time!"_

"_But, Summer. What if she came her for another reason?"_

"_What other reason could it be?!" _Summer cried out.

Ignoring her, he erased the message on the scroll and looked over at the girl. He shook it as he looked at her pink and brown eyes.

"I'm going to ask you a question and slide the scroll back to you. I expect you to answer it quickly, or I will think you are trying to get help. You want to talk?" He asked.

The girl nodded, keeping still.

"Good. Now, you stay there and I'll stay here. First question, what can I call you?"

Sliding the scroll over felt like a leap of faith. When he was given the scroll back via sliding, he felt a slight nudge of trust build up.

"_This is a horrible idea…" _Summer softly said.

"_Trust me, just this once."_

The note said, "Neo."

"Neo. Okay, is my partner safe?"

The next message he got simply said, "Yes."

He looked at the girl directly in the eyes. Something about her expression felt honest. He felt like he could trust her word, as dumb as it felt.

"Why are you really here, Neo?"

A few more seconds passed before he got a response. "I need help. Me and my partner. We need an outside party."

She meant Torchwick, which was pretty obvious to him. But, it also left him with another question.

"Why go to me if you need help?"

The next reply was as simplistic as the others. "Your semblance is very strong, and you aren't recognized in the city underworld."

"And if I refuse to help you?"

"I'll have to try and kill or threaten you into silence of this ever happening." Was her very rapid reply.

The blood reached his upper lip as he read it. The honesty in her wording showed that she wasn't scared of him, but that she truly was here to talk.

"_Should we at least find out what it is she wants?" _He asked Summer.

It was a long few moments of looking at Neo before Summer replied to his question.

"_...I can't believe I am saying this, but yes."_

He glanced at Luna, who was now floating in the air behind her, blade in hand. She slowly nodded, but kept her blade near the short girl's head.

"What would I need to do if I accepted to help you?"

The reply took a little too long for his liking, but she had stared at her scroll with narrowed eyes, looking unsure of what to type.

When she finally slid it over, Azura frowned at the message. "Something is going down on August 2nd. You would need to see it to truly understand the situation me and my partner is in. I can lead you there if you accept."

"I can't accept that if it sounds like a trap to get me killed. Why should I trust you enough to follow you around Vale?"

The next reply made him feel like ice had just chilled his blood. "If my partner finds out or if our boss finds out, it won't just be you who dies. He dies, I die. I don't want that. I want to survive."

He sighed and thought very hard about his next words and actions. If he declined, it would be likely that the girl dies here against two full grown huntresses. If he accepted...well, a variety of things could and would happen.

Azura sighed again, and slowly approached the small girl. She remained seated and still, almost like time had froze around her. Clearly, she wanted to seem open and vulnerable.

He crouched down, careful to keep a watchful gaze on her as he spoke. "I do not trust you, nor do I expect you to trust me. But, I will go and find out what you mean. However, if one thing is out of place, do not expect me to not fight with all of the power that I can. Do you understand?"

She nodded, and Azura handed her the scroll after a few more moments of watching her. The screen was quickly turned back around for him to see.

It read, "Meet me at 5 in the evening at Junior's club on August 2nd."

"Got it."

Azura stood up and offered his hand out to the girl. He knew that she knew what it meant. An agreement, a sign of trust.

She took it quickly, letting him pull her up. He kept his hand in hers and nodded. She looked to have slightly spaced out, staring at his face, right where the blood slowly trickled down from the cut to his lip.

"Neo?" He said, letting go of her hand and tentatively grabbing her shoulder.

She leaned forward quickly, faster than he thought she could be, and dragged her tongue across the space between his lip and and the cut, wetting it with her saliva and she licked the blood.

A second later, and the open window to his left quickly had a body flying out of it. Stunned, he shook his head to clear the mental block that stopped him from moving and swiftly moved to the window, picking up the small switchblade that remained on the ground. Looking out, he could see Neo looking at him. She nodded, then turned and moved off.

He leaned partially out of the window and sighed as he closed his eyes.

"_You sure that was a good idea?" _Summer asked.

"Yes." he said out loud, before turning to Luna. "Go after her. Keep watch and make sure we aren't being set up."

Luna nodded and moved to hug him tightly. He leaned into it, sighing as he listened to his still jacked up heart rate. He had been terrified of the girl, but still felt it was the better choice.

"Thanks, mother. Be careful, okay?"

She nodded and smiled at him before quickly jumping out the window and moving after the girl who was in the distance.

"_Can you finally wipe the saliva on your cheek? It feels gross." _

"_Saliva?" _He asked, wiping his fingers over his cheek where the cut was.

He quickly pulled his hand away once he felt the warm wetness on his cheek. He shivered as he thought about what the girl had done.

"_I might believe this to be the best choice, but that girl isn't all there in the head."_

"_Agreed. We need to tell someone. I suggest Blake, given her experience."  
_

"_Yeah, that's a good idea. Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow."_

"_Good. And, Azura?"_

"_Yeah?" _

"_I'll protect you. Me and Luna both will. Even if we need to die again."_

The idea of them dying was not a good one to him, but he simply stared out at the setting sun as he looked out the window, his thoughts going at a hundred miles per hour. He played with the simple switchblade, wondering just what crazy thing he was getting into.

"Sorry, Weiss." He whispered. "Looks like normalcy won't exist for a while yet."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 1st**

**Thursday**

**Clear**

Despite later learning that Pyra was indeed okay, if tired, yesterday, Azura was a bit of a nervous wreck. He couldn't concentrate, and was glad that he was lucky enough to not be chosen to fight in combat class today. Although, despite his best efforts to not twitch at moving shadows and flinch from sudden movements, it was clear that someone had seen through his disguise.

The only bout of luck that he had was that it was Blake who saw through him. It only took her two minutes to drag him to the RWBY dorm for some privacy, and only another minute to get him to speak to the girl next to him/

"You had to drag me to your dorm for this?"

Blake sighed at his question. "I don't need to deal with your responses that are barely responses. Something happened yesterday, something that is still bugging you. I intend to get to know what it is."

"You won't like it." Azura said quietly.

Blake frowned, resting a hand on his arm. "No, but I might be the only one who understands you. If it was something enough to shake your courage, it's something that...but, that's not my point." She smiled softly. "Just tell me."

Azura nodded. "Okay."

He waited a few moments before speaking again, Blake waiting patiently for him.

"Yesterday, I had a sudden visit. You were told that I went back to the dorms because Pyra was walking there, right?"

"That's correct." She said.

He licked his lips. "Well...it actually wasn't her. It ended up being Neo."

"Neo?"

"She's the girl who stabbed me in the shoulder at the docks. And," Azura points to the thin line on his cheek. "the same one who cut my cheek."

Blake's grip tightened on his arm, and Azura glanced over at her. A flash of annoyance was on her face, but she quickly returned to a more relaxed and calm demeanor, her grip loosening again.

"And what happened?" She quietly asked.

"Well...she came to talk. And we did talk. She seems to think my semblance is powerful, powerful enough to be needed for help."

"She...this Neo, wanted help? With what?"

"From what I can tell, she's afraid of something. Something that she, and her partner, Torchwick, can't handle. It seems like their boss is making them do something, something that threatens their survival." He further explained.

"So she came to you...I think it's possible that it's because of Summer and Luna. Neo might not know that it is because of two full huntresses, but she knows that it has to do with your semblance that makes you strong. Think about it this way, someone this young fighting with the power of a fully trained huntress would be very strong. Perhaps strong enough to ensure their survival." Blake said, expressing her thoughts.

"That would make sense. But, if that's the case...then, I should be stronger than I am right now. I'm scared, Blake. I'm scared of a girl who believes that I am as strong as I am because of a huntress in my head."

Blake's blank expression softened considerably. "Azura, you are strong. There is nothing wrong with being afraid of someone who injured and almost...almost killed you. In fact, it's what I would hope for."

"What do you mean?" Azura asked, confused.

"Well, I'll tell you something. My partner, back when I was in the White Fang...I told you that you remind me of him, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he was strong. So very strong. And do you know why he was so strong?"

"He trained a lot?" Azura asked, a small glimmer of humor returning to him.

"He did do that, you are right. But, he trained because he was afraid. Afraid of what he could lose if he wasn't strong. Afraid of not being able to fulfill the dreams of the White Fang. It made him strive to continue to get stronger than he was yesterday, and to be stronger than he will be tomorrow." Blake said, pausing to take a breath.

"Are you afraid?"

Blake laughed for a moment, quickly. "You know that I am afraid. It's why I train everyday as well. I'm afraid of losing my way. Afraid to lose my friends. Afraid of my past. We're all scared of something, Azura. It's okay to be scared, because it helps to motivate us to be stronger than before."

Summer's gentle murmur of encouragement was comforting to him. It made him want to talk to Blake.

"I'm scared of getting into a situation way too big for myself. I'm afraid of not making my mother proud as a hunter. I'm afraid of losing friends and family again. I just...don't think I'm strong enough to do all that, no matter how much I train."

"Then go to get help. The friends and family you are afraid to lose will be there to help you. And...if no one will help you? I will."

Azura blinked in shock. "Blake?"

"You helped me in my time of need, just like Sun did. It's only fair that I return the favor." Blake said, a look of confidence in her amber eyes.

They sat in silence on Blake's bed. After a few moments, Azura yawned, feeling more tired than usual.

"You didn't get a lot of sleep last night, did you?" Blake asked.

Azura shook his head. "I couldn't stop thinking. I probably would have gone crazy if I didn't have Summer to talk to."

He heard the bed shift around for a moment, before feeling slender fingers grab at his shoulders and lightly tug him backwards. Allowing himself to get dragged back, he eventually had to twist himself sideways and felt his head land on her legs. Turning his head to the left, he saw Blake's legs straight and her feet hanging off the bed. To his right was Blake's stomach and he looked up to see her looking at him, a book in hand.

She rested a hand on his forehead. "Sleep. Dinner isn't for a few hours, and I'll be here when you wake up."

"But, I need to prepare for tomorrow…" He protested weakly.

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I can tail you and intervene if I need to. But, at the moment, just sleep. You'll need it."

He didn't even have time to thank her, already feeling the tug of sleep as the warmth of the sun's rays coming through the window and Blake's light breathing filled his senses.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Not too much to say about this chapter. Next chapter will be longer, just because a lot more will be happening. That will most likely end up as a Sunday chapter, as per usual!**

**Have a good day/evening!**


	21. Agreements and Decisions

**So...it's been a long while since chapter 20. Just over three months since the last chapter. My excuse was that college made me super busy, and well, it did. Lots of stuff happened that I won't go on about here, since this is an author's note, but I wanted to at least let you guys know that I do hate that I ended up not writing a chapter for so long. These chapters used to be uploaded every Sunday, with some variation, such as chapter 19 and 20, and were supposed to be shifted to every other Sunday, but that clearly changed.**

**Anywho, I am back and I am alive. I want to make time for this story again, mainly because I really have been wanting to get back into it. Also, this chapter is kind of short compared to most of the other chapters (just about 3.5k words or so) in this story, but I did kind of write it in three days or so. That's all I want to say here, so without further ado…**

**I hope you enjoy the (very late) chapter!**

**Chapter 21: The Underbelly**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**August 2nd**

**Friday**

**Light Rain**

It was fifteen minutes to five when Blake and Azura made it to Junior's club. The rain gently fell upon them, slowly making the sweatshirts they wore with the hoodie up more wet. They were a few buildings away in an alley, speaking to each other.

"Right, let's just go over the plan again." Blake said.

Azura nodded swiftly.

"I'll be right here, waiting for you to exit the club with Neo leading. When that happens, I'll be tailing from the ground while the two of you make your way to Tukson's shop, where this is supposedly happening. Only engage if it becomes a trap, but otherwise remain cautious. I'll be far enough to remain hidden, which means that it'll take longer to help you if things go south."

Azura nodded again. "Yeah, that's the plan. If it fails, and I do not exit the club in ten minutes, you'll come in to investigate. Just don't be dumb and get yourself in danger just for me."

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'll do it, no matter what you say."

"Right. Well, wish me luck!" He says, a smile on his face.

Blake smiles back. "I don't believe in wishing someone good luck." She takes the black ribbon out of her pocket and holds it out with both hands. "I do, however, believe in good luck charms. Give me your arm."

"Are you sure?" Azura asks. Despite his question, he holds his arm out anyway.

She wraps it around his wrist, just over the snake bracelet on his wrist. Tying it neatly, Blake finally responds. "I'm trusting you to come back with it."

Azura stood in silence for a moment before nodding and growing serious. "I should get going."

Blake nods, turning to lean against the wall. Azura walks away from her, towards the entrance of the club. As he made it to the entrance, he looks at the bouncer by the door. The poor man looked terrified.

"I assume you were told the reason for why I am here?" Azura asked.

The taller man nods. "Of course, sir."

Azura raises an eyebrow. "Sir? We are in no position to do this. Please, we're both here for a reason. You to get paid, and I to find something out. No harm will come to you."

The bouncer doesn't reply, but shifts to the side, allowing Azura access to the club. As he stepped through the entrance, he heard Summer speak to him, her voice soothing any paranoia he might have about this situation. The only other person who knew about this, other than Summer and Luna, was Blake. He trusted Blake, but he had to admit to feeling nervous without the others knowing where he and Blake had gone.

He glanced down at Blake's ribbon, remembering what exactly he was here for, and took a deep breath as he stepped out of the hall that connected the main entrance and the main dance floor. The beat was loud and the tempo fast, but he didn't have time to be distracted by it.

He approached the bar, with Junior standing behind it like he usually did, his suit perfect and clean. As Azura stepped up to it, he saw Junior's eyes widen in surprise, taking in his appearance.

"Well, that's a new one. You become a runaway again? You even have a new look."

Azura shook his head. "Not this time. If I know the person that's here even a little bit, then you already know why I am here."

Junior narrowed his eyes, looking over the crowd for the moment, before leaning across the bar. "You mean that little psychotic partner of Torchwick's?"

Azura nodded, no words needed.

The man sighed. "I don't even know why you agreed to anything. Look, you want me to send the Malachites with you?"

Azura shook his head again. "This agreement is between me and her. Anything that we speak about it sworn to stay between us."

Junior rubbed his forehead, sighing again. "Look, it's not my job to stop you. Just...be careful, you hear? I can only help you so much."

"Of course. Will you feel better if I come to talk to you after?"

Junior sighed, but nodded. "Militia has a soft spot for kids like you, so yeah, it would make me feel better. If only to give her an answer."

Azura tilted his head. "Kids like me?"

Junior chuckled, nodding his head after looking around, as if looking for someone. "In her words, 'I cannot believe that kid is so dumb! How the fuck can someone be so gullible?!'. Despite how angry that may sound, she's honestly just worried."

Azura blushed, scratching at the back of his head. "Oh, well, that's nice of her to worry. But, I need to do this. I can't just not do it."

Junior shook his head, chuckling again. "Figured you would say that. Look, just come back to me when what you are doing is done. For her sake, and well...I think I know what'll happen."

Azura frowned at his words, but accepted anyway. "Yeah, I'll be back afterwards."

"Good. She's upstairs, kid. I don't want to hear a fight start up there, got it?"

Azura nodded. "Thank you, Junior. She'll play nice."

Azura walked off as he heard Junior say one last thing, more to himself. "She's clearly intrigued by something he did…"

He had already figured as much, but Summer clearly still felt uncomfortable with the idea.

"_And I should be! That girl is dangerous. I have no doubt that we could easily fight her, but you'd resist. I know you would."_

"_Course I would. You saw how she acted in the dorm. She would've killed us, and we wouldn't even know it."_

Summer sighed. _"Whatever. Just be careful."_

He took notice of Militia's gaze on him, but continued moving on his way up. He only had a few minutes before he would be considered late. He made his way up the second floor of the club, the music dulling and becoming more of a background noise as he did so. Once he was up there, he could see Neo looking at him, leaning against a table, her arms crossed over her chest, while Lily floated behind her. She nodded her head to a seat, sitting down in the other one.

Azura sits down, focusing on Neo. After a few moments, he asked the only question he truly had. "So, what is it that we are looking for?"

Neo looked at the stairs, as if waiting for someone to be there. After a few moments of silence, she slides the scroll over to him. He picked it up and read what it had to say.

"We have the next hour to go over to a specific shop, run by Tukson. The guy runs a bookstore out of a poor district in Vale, mainly for a backup plan. He's a bit of a higher up in the White Fang and he's going to get a talking to today. It's supposed to be a secret, but I have my ways to get info."

Azura nods and slides the scroll back to her as he speaks. "So, we're going to see what happens, basically?"

Neo nods, typing up a response and showing it to him. "That is correct. I do not plan to interfere with it at all. It is smarter to lay low for this."

Azura nods, easily agreeing with her. "So, should we get going? It seems to be a pretty big thing that'll happen."

Neo shakes her head, typing up another response for him. "It is better to wait. Perhaps we can get to know each other." She smiles smugly after seeing his raised eyebrow.

"You try to kill me, and now you want to get to know me?"

Neo shrugged, and Azura sighed. "Well, why don't you start with what you know about me?"

After a few moments, Neo shows her scroll to him and he speaks as he reads.

"My name...age...weapons...how I fight...possible ideas on how my semblance works...okay, not as much as one might think."

Neo rolls her eyes, showing him another message.

"What's with the ribbon from the kitty? Got a girlfriend?"

Azura licks his lips, thinking on how to play this out.

Summer's voice pierced into his thoughts with her bit of advice. "_Careful what you say here. Don't just go and say no or yes, but give an answer with substance. If you want my advice...say yes. It'll be easier to convince her that way, since it'll make more sense for why the ribbon is there. Just my thoughts."_

Azura smirked slightly, bringing up his eyes to look at Neo and respond. "Not exactly, no. She just...well, she wanted to thank me for helping her at the docks."

Neo blinks, as if not expecting a serious response.

Azura leans back in his seat.

No further conversation occurs as they sit there and wait.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

As Azura followed after Neo, hopping from roof to roof, he could feel Blake's ribbon brushing against his arm as Summer spoke to him.

"_She was trying to probe you for answers. Good one on getting her to stay quiet._"

Azura sighs as he runs, enjoying the lack of rain now, then responds. "_I didn't try to get her to stop talking, but it was much easier than having to give answers to those kinds of questions._"

"_Agreed. Much better that way._" A moment of silence, then she speaks again. "_What do you think we'll find?_"

"_I don't know. It'll be bad, I feel. Something is obviously going to happen, but I don't know what._"

"_Worst case scenario, it's a trap._"

Azura didn't respond, stopping next to Neo and crouching down as he saw her do the same. Narrowing his eyes as he looked over the roof of the building they were on, he took notice two people walking into Tukson's bookstore, but they had masks on, and their clothing was hiding any other traits.

"A shady bunch…" Azura muttered.

As the door closes again, Azura feels Neo nudge his arm and he turns to look at her as she gets up and moves to jump off the building to the ground about ten feet below, landing gracefully. Azura nods to her, then makes his way down the building.

He catches a slight notice of Blake, but ignores it as he follows after Neo. They push up several buildings, then Azura finds himself stopped by Neo. He steps back, going against the wall, then a scroll is pushed into his face.

"Silence from here on out. We have to get closer. And no semblances. They'll know."

Azura nods, then waits, thinking about why she said that they would know about semblances. Once Neo moves, however, he drops the thought and follows after her. They end up coming up just next to the building, and they could see inside the bookstore. By now, Azura recalled a moment where Blake mentioned a bookshop owned by a Tukson, and he tried to ignore the sadness that pooled in his stomach. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Looking within the shop, Azura could see the masked people talking to a bloody Tukson. The Faunus seemed terrified and Azura felt like his feet were planted to the ground, his mouth dry. He could stand and watch, but could not help.

He hated the fact that it made sense to him that he should stay where he was. With no info on what these people could do, it was better to keep hidden.

Azura winced as he saw one of the masked duo punched Tukson directly in the face. How they managed to break his aura so quickly was terrifying. Looking down, he could see Neo was frowning at the scene. Looking at her with such an expression on her face was disconcerting to Azura. It made it seem like Neo actually felt bad for this Faunus. Which, to Azura, couldn't have been true. He had seen what this girl did to him, seen her expression as she stabbed his shoulder. He had seen her almost lost in a trance as she licked his blood.

And yet, the girl seemed more human to him. That frown could mean anything, but it certainly looked like a frown of disagreement to him. Standing just a few inches to his side along the wall was no longer someone he labeled as an unstable girl who would kill for fun, but a survivor simply living in the world she was born in.

"_Azura!_" Summer hissed within his mind.

Azura blinked, looking back up to the window. Tukson was speaking wildly, his eyes flicking between the two masked people as he did so. He was crying now, and Azura felt like he was begging for something.

Then, he was dead. A slitted throat.

Azura widened his eyes, shocked at the sight. For someone who had a semblance that blatantly defied death and allowed him to see beyond death, he had never seen someone actually die. He had no grand dreams of keeping people from death, but to see the death first hand was another thing entirely.

He was dragged from his thoughts as Neo grabbed his arm and dragged him away. He stumbled after her, but eventually, his mind caught up with his body, and he started running properly. After they had made it across several streets that were devoid of life, Neo eventually dragged him into an alleyway. They were breathing slightly heavily, though it quickly dispersed as they caught their breath much easier, given training and aura.

"Fuck." Azura said simply.

Neo nodded as Summer spoke.

"_Fuck indeed._"

Azura looked around on both sides of the alleyway, then up at the roofs. He looked back down at Neo and spoke again. "Are we good? Safe enough, at least?"

Neo stops her own looking around, then nods. She checks once more, then types a response and shows it to him. "Safe. That was the expected outcome, however."

Azura licked his lips. Gone was the idea of the survivor, and in came the chilling lack of compassion. He frowned, thinking of how to respond.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can see that. Those people work for your boss?"

Neo nods again. No words were needed for what that meant.

The stakes were much higher for her than he expected. Alarmingly higher.

Azura sighs heavily, speaking to Summer mentally. "_She's in danger._"

"_Agreed._" Summer responded.

"_She needs help, Summer._"

"_Azura…_" Summer said warningly.

"_Summer, if I can avoid another death like Tukson, I will._"

Summer was silent for a few moments before speaking. "_Damn it...okay. It would be better to try and stop more deaths. But don't agree to anything too concrete outside of helping._"

Azura nods, then speaks softly. "Neo."

The triple colored girl looks over at him, her expression clear.

"I'll help you."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura put the scroll down and into his pocket as he enters Junior's club, having just finished a call from Blake. After promising to return to Beacon before it got too late, she finally caved in and allowed him to stay at the club. Only after telling him that she would tell everyone else that he would be coming back late.

Azura sighed as he sat in a stool, leaning his arms on the bar counter as he leaned forward. The loud music was still blaring, but he did hear Junior stop moving in front of him and sigh.

"Nothing good, I guess?"

"Yeah."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

Junior didn't respond after that, but Azura saw a glass of water be placed in front of him. Azura sighs, but takes the glass and drinks from it. After finishing it, he places the glass down and stares at it.

"You look terrible, kid. You planning on getting back to Beacon at some point?"

"Yeah."

Junior sighs again. "Get to the back. Private bathroom. Wash some cold water over your face and in your hair. Call it crazy, but it helps. With this kind of work, that is."

Azura nods simply, getting up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Azura moves off to the back of the club and breathes out as the blaring music fades into silence and he speaks to himself, mainly to Summer.

"And thank you for keeping quiet and letting me think."

The gratifying feeling that filled his heart for a moment felt like a silent sign of appreciation. One that made him feel a bit more confident. Luna was floating just behind Azura, seeming unsure of how to act. Azura himself didn't know what to do or say, so he didn't.

As he made it into the bathroom Junior mentioned, he stopped in front of the mirror and turned the sink on. The sound of the water slowly filled the silence as he stared at himself. One yellow eye, the other silver. His messy hair, a mix of red and white. His eyes looked tired and he seemed pensive.

"Azura." A voice broke through his thoughts and the running water.

He turned and saw Militia standing against the doorframe, her sharp green eyes looking at him, then turned back to look at the mirror again. He cupped some water into his hands and ran them against his face, doing it a few times before shutting the water off and leaning against the sink.

The clinking footsteps of Militia coming up to him made him look over at her and talk.

"Yes?" 

She turns the water back on and speaks, any sharpness that should have been there missing.

"Just checking on you. I heard what happened."

"I agreed to help her."

Militia frowns, but remains calm. "We'll get to that later. You have other things to deal with."

Azura sighs, still looking down. "Yeah."

Militia waves a hand to the water, as if telling him to wash his face again. When Azura made no movement to do so, however, she sighed and shut it off.

"Listen. This is something that you signed up for, you know." She sighs again. "Everyone might be treating you nicely cause you're new, but you need to know this. This is a very common thing. Maybe not constant death and bloodshed, but it will get crazy. There is no way to avoid it, and there certainly isn't a thing you can do at all times. Not in this side of the world. The one without hunters and huntresses."

Azura kept silent, simply listening. Feeling a hand rest against his arm made him look over at Militia, a small smile on her face. He smiled back without thinking, then dropped it once he realized it. Militia snorted in laughter, then pats his face. "Don't feel down about this for too long, you hear?"

Azura watched her leave the bathroom, feeling slightly better than before.

"_Death...is kinda in the job description of being a hunter. I'm an example of that. Your mother is to._"

He looked into the mirror as Summer spoke, and he could see Luna looking from just behind him, the mark along her neck showing her cause of death. He placed a hand on his stomach, closing his yellow eye as he did so.

"A fatal stomach wound."

Azura silently left the bathroom, feeling like he was lighter and dropping to the floor like a heap of metal at the same time.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura stepped off of the airship, staring out at the Beacon tower that stood in the distance. As the small group of students that were also coming off the airship wandered off, Azura looked away from the tower and took notice of a certain Ruby Rose standing there.

Azura started moving, the wind blowing gently as the moon hung in the sky. Once he got close, Ruby spoke, sounding awkward.

"Heya."

"Hey, Ruby." Azura said simply, putting on a small smile.

Ruby steps forward, looking up at him. "How are ya?"

Azura blinks, looking up from Ruby's position. "Fine. You?"

"You know...living. It's uh...pretty cool, y'know."

Azura smirks, chuckling. "What's up, Ruby?"

A few moments pass by while Ruby builds up her courage. "Just...worried. It's nothing to worry about."

Azura looks down at Ruby for a moment. "Don't worry about your worry? Ruby, isn't that a bit...redundant?"

Ruby frowns, pouting slightly. "Shush you! I don't need your...your...your patronizing!"

Azura chuckles again. "Learning big words from Weiss, huh?"

"Hey! I'll have you know-"

Azura lightly tapped Ruby on the head. "That you drink milk. Yeah, I do know that."

Ruby sighs, exaggerating her depressed reaction of slumped shoulders and hung head. She laughs a moment later. Azura smiles at the act, shaking his head. He starts to walk off, and Ruby quickly follows suit.

"Thanks, Ruby. You're a good friend."

He couldn't see her reaction, but her response was more than enough for him, as she grumbled.

"Thank Blake for informing us. Drove me crazy with worry, you know."

Azura rolled his eyes. "You sound like a mother."

Knowing Ruby, she stuck her tongue out at him just now. "Says the one with my mother inside of him."

"Hey, it takes one to know one."

"Azura!"

He laughed softly at the humor of the situation, trying to not let today's events linger on his mind.

He wondered if he would even be alive to regret his decision. Summer's silence told him that she didn't quite know the answer yet.

**.**

**.(Chapter end)**

**.**

**Some might disagree with the...simplicity around Tukson's death, but I made it that way because I had no other reason for his character, sadly. Just not much plot relevance for him, outside of this moment.**

**Chapters will likely be staggered a bit more awkwardly than a chapter every Sunday, just to make that clear. I will have a very odd timetable in the coming days, so it's likely that a chapter will just drop randomly now and again for a bit. I will try my hardest to not get back into a three month period of no updates, and it's good to be back to GVLP.**

**As always, feedback and other such things are appreciated.**

**Have a good day/evening!**


	22. Moving Forward

**Well, here we are. Chapter 22 was much easier to go through and write, and it was what I would call a necessary chapter. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter 22: Moving Forward**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**August 5th**

**Monday**

**Sunny**

Azura woke up with a jolt, sweating and panting. He looked around the room, his heartbeat racing as he looked around at his sleeping friends. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself.

"_Azura._"

Summer's voice helped calm him, and he shook his head to clear his senses.

"_You are shaken up. Did you dream?_"

Instead of answering normally, Azura asked a question in return. "_Did you?_"

"_Azura, you can't exactly hide yourself from me, despite our efforts. What's wrong?_"

Azura sighed, rubbing his face with a hand "_Tukson. I don't feel so...personally emotional over it or anything, but to see death so blatantly thrown in my face was shocking. I've been dreaming...of that death. Of yours. Imagining Luna's death._"

Summer was silent for a moment, and Azura glanced around the room again, noticing that Pyra was gone and Ren was also missing. The shower was running as well. Just as he made to comment on it, Summer spoke again.

"_I can see why. You have been used to ghosts, but not of death itself. But there was not much that we could do. We have no idea what those people could do. And clearly, neither does the girl who works with them._"

"_Yeah, I suppose that's true. But it still feels wrong, having just watched a man die. It's cruel._"

Summer sighs, and the sound rattles his head a bit. "_I know._"

In an attempt to change the topic, Azura finally spoke about what he noticed earlier. "_Pyra is still gone. She said she was visiting family...but she didn't seem so happy about it. It's...odd._"

"_Without knowing her reasons, who's to say it's odd? And I would wager to say that Ren is in the shower._"

Azura hummed in agreement, looking around the room for a third time, letting the dream start to fade from his memory as he shifted to be sitting on the edge of the bed. He bends over to grab the switchblade in his bag, playing with it as he thought of the owner of the blade.

He had agreed to help Neo. He wasn't sure if it was the best decision to make, but he couldn't just let her die. And he remembered her response to his question clearly.

"I'll find you...when I need you." Azura muttered to himself.

"Azura?" A voice of slight intrigue spoke.

Azura threw the switchblade into the bag and looks up, his mix-matched eyes meeting Ren's soft magenta eyes.

"Heya, Ren. You showered, I see."

"Yes. Better to do it in the peace and quiet of the morning."

Azura chuckled, shrugging half-heartedly. "True. What's got you up so early though? It's only…" Azura looks at his scroll. "Just after eight in the morning."

Ren puts an undershirt on before responding to Azura, his black hair pulled back.

"I could ask you the same. Your heartbeat has been elevated for a while."

Azura looked at Ren, confused. "What? How would you know that?"

"Doesn't matter. You've been like this for a few days, but I was waiting for a moment where it would just be the two of us to talk about it."

Azura looks up at Ren, seeing a trace of what seemed to be concern in his magenta eyes. Sighing, Azura speaks.

"Can't talk about the cause."

"I know." Ren said simply, surprising Azura. "If you really didn't think that, you would have told us already." He let silence sit in the air for a while before speaking again. "Does Blake know?"

Azura raises an eyebrow, trying to seem confused. "Blake? Why would she know?"

"She knew you would be coming back later than her. Seems to fit that she was there for what happened."

Azura frowns. "You are a lot more perceptive than you act like you are."

Ren slightly twisted his lips into a smile. "It's a part of my charm."

Azura blinked. "Was that...emotion on your face?" Azura smirks, a playful tone in his voice. "Maybe you do have a charm."

Ren shook his head. "Yes, it was. Anyway, I would suggest talking to her if you need it." He turned away, comb in hand to brush his hair, and walked towards the bathroom and saying one last thing. "But...if you want my advice, I would find a place of peace and talk it out with yourself. Or with the ghosts. I always forget you have those."

He likely didn't, but Azura appreciated the gesture. "I think I'll take that advice. Thanks, Ren."

Azura got up, taking a few minutes to freshen up, then walked out of the dorm to go to the only place on his mind. Making sure to swiftly make his way out of the dorm building, he breathed in the fresh air and shook his head.

"It feels good to be out in the open. Don't think I have appreciated it quite enough, you know?"

Summer didn't respond, but she didn't need to. Azura was getting used to knowing when Summer was thinking. He can't say he blamed her for thinking considering what was going on recently.

As he walked towards the same cliffside that overlooked the city of Vale, he could make out Yang's figure and he stopped walking. Breathing in and out, Azura flexed his fingers.

"_Better now, than never. Do not hesitate in mending bonds._"

Azura nodded, slowly making his way to Yang's sitting figure, standing just behind her.

"Yang."

She didn't turn around, simply speaking while facing away from Azura.

"We need to talk."

"Agreed." Azura replied simply.

He moved forward, sitting next to Yang and swinging his legs over the edge. With a sigh, he spoke again.

"Are you still angry with me?"

Yang snorted. "No, I'm not. Not anymore."

"That's...good."

Yang sighed heavily, and Azura could see her looking at him for a moment before turning to face the view again. "There's been a lot on my mind recently, for obvious reasons. But, I wasn't being open with myself and defaulted on anger. I apologize if that was putting you down."

Azura shook his head, leaning back and placing his hands behind him to stay propped up. "It's fine, Yang. I understand. Just when you might have gotten used to the idea of dead family, some guy just appears and ends up revealing that your mother's ghost was still around. And now that guy is kinda...soul bonded with her." He looks over at Yang. "It probably didn't help that Ruby was so...not entranced...but she was-"

"She was so excited and happy." Yang finished for him.

Azura nods. "And you were scared."

Yang frowns. "It made me angry. To be scared. It's frustrating."

Azura blinks, and he felt Summer's anticipation running through his body like it was his own. "What changed?"

Yang turned to him, and the guilt on her face was a shock to him. Her voice was laced with guilt and more emotions than he was used to seeing on Yang. "Ruby did. Yesterday."

Azura thought back to last night, where Ruby was standing and waiting for him at the airship dock. She hadn't seemed off at that moment to him. And Summer made no comment to him either.

"What happened yesterday with Ruby?" Azura asked.

Yang looks away, and she sighs very heavily. "She broke down. Had a full on anxiety attack."

Azura widened his eyes, and he could hear Summer gasp loudly. "She what?!"

"_I...I never noticed…_" Summer said in shock.

"Yeah...said that I was driving you away. Making you do dangerous things. And that she would lose her mother again and you for the first and last time."

"I hadn't realized…Summer didn't either. I didn't want her to know what I was doing."

Yang clenched her hand into a fist. "Neither did I. She's been feeling like that for a while, if I had to guess."

"_When did she get so good at hiding her emotions…?_" Summer muttered in her head.

"So then...when she heard I wouldn't be around Beacon for a bit from Blake…"

"Yeah. Blake texted it to us and Weiss happened to be out at the time. Ruby kinda freaked, had the attack, then stood out there until you came back."

Silence filled the air as Azura thought about the new info. He knew that Ruby was insecure about parts of a social life and having friends, but he hadn't thought it would cause this.

"It...makes sense. I should've thought of that. Should have thought of her before jumping to do my own thing. I mean...I do have your mother within my body. And without my semblance…"

Yang shot a glare at him. "No talk of death. You aren't dying."

Azura nods, dropping the topic. Yang breathed out, speaking again after calming herself.

"What _are _you doing in Vale so late at night?"

When Azura didn't respond, Yang looked at him and narrowed her lilac colored eyes. "Azura. Why are you hiding it?

Azura looks away. "It's complicated. Not something that should be known, for safety reasons, if it goes that way."

Yang shakes her head, and he can hear her growl in annoyance. "Fine." She breathes out again, once more calming herself. "Okay. Is it because I am the one asking?"

Azura shook his head. "No, it's not that. But if someone like Pyrrha, or Jaune...or Ruby...catches wind of the danger I might go through, they'll get involved. Two trained huntresses or not."

Yang frowns. "Makes sense to keep them out, but does no one have to know? Me? Blake? Weiss? Your own partner?"

Azura sighs. "Blake knows. She was there with me, if you forgot."

Yang falls back and rests on the ground. She stares at the sky as she speaks again. "Right. Do you think anyone else should know?"

Azura frowns, thinking. "You and Weiss, maybe. But I don't trust you two to not take action in my stead, no offense. You're you, and Weiss would probably go all 'scary domineering woman' on me into I allow her to come with."

"Kinky." Yang said with a chuckle.

"Very funny." Azura said in response with a deadpan.

"So, you believe it to be best if only you and Blake know what you are doing?"

"Yes."

"Does...does mom think that too?"

Azura flinched, and he could feel an immense sadness well up within him. A moment later, Summer spoke to him. "_I do._"

"She does, Yang." Azura spoke.

Yang nods slowly and closes her eyes. "Guess I'll just have to settle for it." She opens her eyes and gets up, stretching. "Will you at least talk to Ruby soon? Not about this. But about her and mom. She really wants to talk to her, even if she won't admit it. And well, I know about why she says no to it. Because it could kill you to separate you and Summer. But she's not devoid of emotions. Of wants and desires."

Yang turned around and starts to walk off. As Azura watches her, she speaks again.

"She doesn't want to be able to speak to mom alone, Azura. She wants to be able to speak with her mother, no matter what. Even if you believe in privacy, which I am thankful for, Ruby doesn't care."

Azura laid down against the grass, sighing.

"I'm not a very good host for a mother, am I, Summer?"

"_And I am not a good mother._"

Azura got his scroll from his pocket, intent on asking Ruby to talk with him later.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Ruby Rose, the girl of speed that she was, was late.

It had been ten minutes without a single sign of her. Azura was starting to wonder if she would show up. He leaned back, resting on the bench that was near the very same cliffside he had spoken to Yang on just a few hours before. It was just after lunch, but Azura wasn't exactly feeling hungry.

"_She'll come. Probably with a story and everything._" Summer said, a sense of knowing the future in her tone.

"_You sound rather sure of yourself._"

Summer laughed lightly, a sound Azura found enjoyable instead of disconcerting now. "_I'd do the same thing._"

Azura chuckled, though it didn't last long as a high pitched voice cried out, excitement evident. "Azura!"

He turned, looking over to see Ruby running towards him. She stopped just in front of him as he stayed seated on the bench.

"Hi, Ruby. What's got you so excited." He tilted his head. "And did you just shower or something?"

Ruby nodded, a smile on her face. "There was this entire food fight in the mess hall! It was awesome!" Putting on an act of facial expressions and waving her arms around, she goes on. "Yang had turkey gloves and was all 'POW' and 'WHAM'! And Weiss was stabbing people with bread! Team Juniper stood no chance to us!"

Azura smiled in return. "That's great, Ruby. Looks like I missed some good fun, then."

"You did!" Ruby said, before the excitement wore off, and she calmed down considerably "So, what have you been up to today?"

Azura shrugged. "Not much. Just hanging out. Y'know, speaking to people."

Ruby sighed, and the look she gave Azura reminded him of Summer. "Such as Yang?"

Azura rubbed the back of his head and laughed quietly. "She told you guys about that, huh?"

"Yep." Ruby said, popping the 'p'.

As she sat down next to Azura, he shook his head. "Well, can't say I shouldn't have seen that coming."

Ruby laughed lightly, seeming serious but relaxed. "That's for sure." She breathes in and out deeply, looking at the sky. "Since I kind of know what you asked me here for...well, I'm fine. Better than yesterday."

Azura nods his head, wondering what to say in response to that. "...That's good. Glad to know that is the case. But that doesn't excuse my actions."

Ruby looked at him wide-eyed. "What? No! That's not my point!"

Azura shrugs. "Well, I basically hid my actions and Blake probably said something that set you off. Not to say that Blake is at fault for anything, but you get my point."

Ruby frowns. "No, that's not it. I just assumed the worst was happening...I am sorry. I didn't think clearly."

Azura shakes his head, placing a hand on Ruby's arm. "Don't apologize for that. You shouldn't have to apologize for being worried for a friend."

"I wasn't just worried...I was anxious and...and...I was terrified."

Ignoring Summer's exclamation of swears, Azura looked down. "I see. And that was my fault. I didn't stop to consider what having your mother basically tied to me meant to you. Yang proved that much."

He heard Ruby sigh and then lean back against the bench. When nothing was said, Azura looked over at her, seeing her looking into the sky. Instead of questioning her, Azura leaned back as well, closing his eyes and waiting.

After a few moments, he heard Ruby speak. "It's not that I don't trust you. Or that I don't trust Summer to protect you." A few more moments of silence pass by before she speaks again. "But to think of every little possibility that could kill my chance to talk to my mother...it scares me. I can't help it, it just slips in my mind and then never leaves."

Azura opened his eyes, taking in the sky and breathing in the warm air. With a bit of hesitation, he speaks. "And if you could speak to Summer now, would you say yes? Even with me being the inbetween?"

Ruby laughs for a moment, letting her excitement break through before damping in the somber atmosphere. "I'd love for any chance to. But...I admit that I don't know what to say. I've spent so many years trying to not have any questions, that it's almost like I've forgotten what to even ask her."

Azura blinked, leaning forward and looking at Ruby watch the sky as she leaned back on the bench. "Then just speak. Not to anyone in particular, just voice your thoughts. Tell her your thoughts."

As the breeze went by and Ruby remained silent, Azura waited patiently. It was a struggle for her, he could see. Anyone in her position would feel the same, to not have a parent for so long in their life.

He felt bad for the stab of pain and anger that washed through him, knowing that it was Summer's. But there was nothing for him to do about it.

"I just...I don't know. It hurts. To know that my mother is dead. And it hurts even more to know that she knows of every night where I spoke to myself about how much I hated it and her for abandoning me. And how I felt like a burden to dad...he would always say how much I looked her when I was younger. He says it less now, but it still makes me feel so guilty. I feel like I am some curse to him." She grows quiet, her next words barely heard. "Uncle Qrow drinks...a lot. I love him so much, but I worry about him. I feel like he's always drunk now."

Azura barely recognized the name, but it was clear that both Ruby and Summer knew this Qrow well. A flash of memory came to him, and he saw four people sitting on the cliffside, laughing and joking, and he wondered if he would place a face to the name at some point.

He heard Summer sigh, before speaking.

"_Azura, can you speak for me?_"

"_Yeah._" He said to Summer, then spoke directly to Ruby. "Summer will speak in a moment, and I'll be repeating her, okay?" 

"Okay." Ruby said quietly.

As Summer started speaking, Azura repeated after her. "I know. How you feel, that is. It pained me to see you on those nights where you felt so alone. To see Tai slowly go downward, and for Yang to take it upon herself to raise you. It hurt to see you have a darker childhood because of me. It really did feel like I was abandoning you for so long. And Qrow...I know. It hurts to seem him like that. More than you might know."

Azura couldn't help his smile as he heard the next words, then spoke again. "But you will never be a burden or a curse. You are loved. Your father loves you, your sister loves you. I still love you, as well. Even in death, I will love you."

As emotion wreathed Azura, most of which he knew to not be his own, he reached forward and grabbed Ruby's hand. She sat up, her own emotions in her eyes. Sadness, anxiety. But also joy and relief. As Azura met her eyes, she seemed surprised. As Azura took notice, he loosened his grip, only for Ruby to tighten it again.

"It's not you...no, it's just that I look at you in this moment, and see two people. Not just Azura. Not just mother. But both of you. I can see mom's sadness, and see that she is hurt. And also her love. But I also see your compassion, Azura. As burdened as you say you are with such a semblance, you are willing to help others with it. Your semblance is one that might be made from a dark time, but it brings love and relief to those who you help with it. If your semblance was the manifestation of anything, it would not be death. It would be heart. You bring your heart out for all to see, just to help people."

Azura smiled, responding. "And if your semblance was the manifestation of anything, it wouldn't be cowardice. It would be the desire to be able to rescue. You want to be a hero. To be someone great. If I could speak my mind, I would say that Summer was the same way. Very much a family semblance, if I must say."

Summer breathed out an airy laugh in response, and Ruby smiled. She seemed to return back to her old self after a few more moments, speaking.

"Thank you, Azura. And thank you...for always being there, mom. Even if I never knew you were."

Azura didn't even need Summer to say what she wanted to for him to respond. "She'd do it for you. She'd do anything for you."

Ruby's smile grew.

"_Thank you, Azura. Without you, neither of us would be able to do this._"

Luna was behind Ruby, having listened to everything they had said. Azura was watching her as her golden orbs landed on his own. His smile grew as he looked at her, and she smiled back. Death might be a part of life, but Azura knew that his semblance allowed for those final words to be known. Death might be a lesson everyone was eventually forced to know, but was it so wrong to have the ability to let the lesson have a less severe consequence?

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 10th**

**Saturday**

**Clear**

Azura was finding that he would be spending his time in the RWBY dorm often. Especially on Saturday's. And he would commonly be listening to Weiss's every demand each time.

"Lift your right arm up for me." Weiss said as she moved from letting Azura's right leg down. Her hair was down for once, and Azura couldn't help but watch it as he lifted his arm for Weiss.

Seeing it flow this freely, especially with the snow white hair, reminded him of his mother. It was disconcerting, if Azura could be honest.

"_Azura, you have the weirdest thoughts. That, or you actually are into older women._"

"_Not a word, Summer. I don't need dead mom's snooping around my mind._"

"_Wait...is Weiss even older than you? Now I want to know._" Summer commented.

Azura kept calm externally, but felt an immense desire to facepalm.

"_Seriously? You want to know that badly?_"

"_Azura! This is critical information as the woman in your head!_"

"_For what?!_" Azura mentally exclaimed.

"Azura, listen to me, you dumb exorcism victim!"

Azura snapped from his mental conversation with brilliant grace. "Wha-? Oh, hello."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, sighing in resignation. "Seriously? What was so important that you couldn't pay attention to anything?"

Azura blinked, feeling Summer mentallly poke him several times, if that was even possible. "Uh...Summer was talking to me about your age."

Weiss blinked in return. "...What?"

"Also...exorcism victim? Really?" Azura said, smirking.

Weiss shook her head. "That is of no importance! Why does the woman in your head even care about my age?!"

"_So that this poor boy can finally have thoughts on romance! He's so lacking…_" Summer cried internally.

"She believes I like older women." Azura answered honestly.

Weiss stared at him with a raised eyebrow, so Azura gave a bit more context. "I made a comment about something being weird and now she runs with it."

Weiss had basically forgotten about moving onto the next arm at this point, responding. "So...the ghost in your head wants to know my age because she's being a deviant?"

"_No!_" Summer said.

"Yes." Azura replied.

Weiss shook her head. "She's weird."

"Agreed."

"_What?_"

"And very dumb."

"Yup."

"_Hey!_"

"She is absolutely Ruby's mom."

"Oh yeah."

"_Don't diss my child! Or...is this an insult to me?_"

Azura laughed, and Weiss shook her head. She sighed.

"I'm still seventeen. Now give me your left arm." Weiss said, moving to his other side.

Azura gave her his other arm, sleeve pulled back and everything, as he responded. "So am I, Weiss. November second, you?"

"February third." Weiss said, focusing on the glyph on his wrist.

"_Just about nine months older, then._" Summer said, satisfied.

"_You're a weirdo, Summer._"

A flash of concern ran through his system from her cackle, but seeing Luna's amused smile over their conversation kind of made it a bit better to him. He enjoyed seeing his mother smile. Though, he sort of missed the time where it was just the two of them. They didn't get too much time alone anymore, except for a few days here and there. Even his letters to the Blue family were a bit more random, even if they still went back and forth once a month.

"Face." Weiss said, almost demandingly.

Just another day in the life of a Beacon student, Azura thought. He dropped his arm and tilted his face up, waiting. Weiss came forward, her hair falling around her face and slightly tickling his face as she placed one hand on his chin and the other on the glyph. After a minute or so, she started to mutter to herself.

"I'm surprised that no one has commented on the glyphs that can be seen. It's well hidden, yes, but honestly. Still, that is the preferred outcome of that. I do not need to hear of some long winded stories about how I claimed you as a suitor or something…" She blinked, as if realizing what she was saying.

Her face shifts backs and she looks at Azura in the eyes. "Not a word. I so much as hear you say anything about my words, you'll become an ice cube."

And just like that, Azura was left there with that unsettling idea, forced into silence by not wanting to mess Weiss up with whatever she did with the glyphs. After a few minutes longer, Weiss moved back, and sighed.

"You're good. A few adjustments were needed, since things were loosening up, but that's about it. No battery recharge either, so that's all I need to do."

Azura smiled and leaned back on the bed he was one. "Thanks, Weiss. You've been a great help ever since we decided to actually be friends."

Weiss smirked for a moment, before dropping it. "Just as you have helped me. It seems only fitting that good things are repaid with kindness, you know?"

"Agreed." Azura said, only to retract the statement a moment later. "Unless it's Jaune. He just keeps getting told no."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I don't dislike Jaune. I just don't reciprocate his feelings, whatever they may be."

Azura shrugged. "He'll learn, eventually. At least he hasn't done it too often."

"Indeed. And at least he tried different angles, too."

"Oh? Praise from the Ice Queen?" Azura said, amused.

"Shush, Azura!" Weiss exclaimed, pointing a finger at him as she glared.

"You threatened to turn me into an ice cube. That is a classic Ice Queen!" Azura protested.

Weiss was about to respond back to him before a scroll went off. Azura was about to get up once he noticed that it was his Beacon scroll, but Weiss beat him to it. Though, her widened eyes were certainly worrisome. He got up, moving to Weiss as she spoke.

"Why is Headmaster Ozpin asking you to personally go to his office?"

Azura grabbed his scroll and dismissed the notification before putting it away, then responded. "No idea. But he's doing it, so I kinda have to answer it."

Weiss frowned. "Isn't it...a little weird how commonly you get asked to go to him...specifically alone?"

Azura tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Weiss sighed. "He doesn't really ask students to personally visit him. They either request to see him or he finds us on the grounds."

Azura shrugged. "I don't know. He's been doing it, though."

"But why?" Weiss asked.

Azura looked at Weiss. "For one reason or another. No idea what he wants to talk to me for this time."

Weiss frowned again, but shook her head. "Alright, I suppose. It's just weird, is all."

Azura smiled, trying to seem reassuring. "It's nothing top secret, Weiss. I promise you that."

Weiss shooed him off with a wave of a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing. I need to get my hair together."

Azura chuckled, moving to leave, but turning one last time. "I like your hair when it's down. Looks good on you, since you always keep it up in a ponytail."

He laughed at her shout for him to get out of her dorm. He just hoped that this talk with Ozpin wouldn't be serious.

**.**

**.(Line break)**

**.**

Seeing a seated Ozpin and a standing General Ironwood in Ozpin's office totally made him feel like it was going to be a serious conversation. He stepped out of the elevator, a little too timidly for his liking.

"A...student?" Ironwood muttered, looking at Ozpin with a gruff voice.

The white military outfit that the general wore was intimidating to Azura. This was a man with tremendous power. That was not to say that Ozpin didn't have power as the headmaster of Beacon Academy, but something about seeing the general of Atlas right in front of him made him nervous.

"Yes, James, a student." Ozpin said, as if it was a dumb question.

Azura kept silent, thinking about the stories he had heard about the man from his mother. She was currently floating around him, taking him in. she was curious, that was for sure. She had told him that she did know Ironwood, since she had worked in Atlas before, but they weren't particularly close. Kind of like a work associate, if Azura had to guess.

Ironwood was quick to shake his head, narrowing his eyes at Ozpin. "What do you have planned?"

He turned back to look at Azura, and Azura quickly froze up nervously. He was staring at his eyes specifically, studying them. As Ozpin answered, Ironwood turned away and Azura felt like he was no longer under some iron grip.

"Nothing of the sort, James. I simply wished for you to meet young Azura Heart. And to perhaps share his semblance, if he is comfortable with sharing it."

Ozpin looked over at him, and he answered with as much confidence as he could. "Sure."

He turned to Ironwood, nervously licking his lips, then spoke again. "My semblance allows me to interact and be with ghosts and spirits, sir."

Ironwood looked back at Azura's eyes, then to his hair. He frowned, but did not comment on it when he spoke. "An interesting semblance...but it can clearly do more."

Azura nodded, keeping the list short. "It can, sir. I can give a physical form to the ghosts and spirits, even allowing them to summon what they consider their personal weaponry. It can also work passively, allowing me to see them at any time and still be able to touch them." He pauses, thinking over his next words, then pointed to his head. "It can also have this happen passively."

Ironwood nodded, then turned to Ozpin. "Is that all?"

Ozpin's small smile made a sudden defensive urge rush through Azura. Summer was getting restless, he could feel.

"Yes, James. I'm sure you are done with your business here for now. We shall discuss the Vytal tournament and Atlas Academy's students at a later point."

As Ironwood left, he stopped before Azura and spoke quietly. "You remind me of some people. People long thought dead." He walked off, speaking some final words. "Good luck in the tournament, Heart."

As Ironwood left, the elevator doors closing, Ozpin looked over at Azura.

The boy had hoped that Ironwood leaving would make the atmosphere of the office lighter, but he felt more nervous than anything. After a few moments, Ozpin spoke.

"I apologize if you felt nervous around Ironwood. He does not try to seem intimidating. You were called here for another reason. It's about your condition with Summer."

Azura stepped forward, glancing at Luna, then back at Ozpin. "What about it?"

Ozpin drank from his coffee cup, then sighed. "I am still looking into possible solutions, but I am unable to find any possible cases of it ever being done. There is something that I am willing to think over, but that is for another conversation. Regardless, it seems that most of these solutions are directly about separation." He drinks more coffee before speaking again. "I am trying to find a way for it to benefit you, Azura. I think it would be possible to actually allow you to disconnect from a soul bond without losing it, if that makes sense."

Azura smiled sheepishly. "It...kind of doesn't, I must admit."

Ozpin chuckled. "No matter. The idea is that you would be able to live without needing to be connected to Summer, but I do not have a full grasp on what would happen if we tried it. I assume you would not want to risk it?"

Azura nodded. "Yes. I would prefer to..you know, be alive. It's quite nice."

Ozpin nodded in return. "Good. That is a good view to have, even if it is simple. Then I will continue looking for the safest way to go about this."

Azura smiles. "Thank you, sir."

"And one last thing. The Nightmare grimm…" Ozpin sighed. "It's possible that it is in hiding right now. We might possibly lose contact with it, since the one tracking it cannot always be there. I just thought it would be better for you to know."

Azura frowned. "I understand, sir."

"It is unlikely that it will move too far. Not with the kind of Grimm that it is." Ozpin shook his head. "That is all, you may leave."

As Azura also left the office, the doors closing, Summer finally spoke.

"_Ironwood too. I wonder how many people know of your situation…_"

Apparently as many as Ozpin thought might need to know. Azura didn't know how to feel about that.

**.**

**.(Character Shift/Line Break)**

**.**

Neo was swinging her legs back and forth on the catwalk of the new warehouse they were in. Down below, she could see Roman yelling at some White Fang grunts. They were pitiful. It made her want to end their lives, if only for them to serve some use.

That use being for her entertainment.

But she was told to be on hold. Roman was quite serious with telling her that. And she would listen to him, even if it bored her to death. Her thoughts drifted away as she watched Roman continue to go off, thinking on what that boy said.

Agreeing to help her with those earnest eyes. She licked her lips, smiling as she thought about it. He was just so tempting to her. His willingness to help just made her desire to break him grow.

It frustrated her to remember that she wanted his help. He could not do that if she had her way. She knew she had to be slow and methodical with it.

Looking at her scroll, she stared at the time, wondering when she would next need him. Their next goal was highly illegal, as she thought of the giant Atlesian mech within the warehouse.

She wondered if she could sway him to her side sooner, rather than later. Logically, she knew it was better to wait it out and slowly break him down to be obedient only to her.

But she wanted it now. She wanted that innocence to be crushed and destroyed.

Neo stood up, walking off. She needed to prepare.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And here's Ironwood. A very interesting character, if you want my opinion. I can't say he'll be seen too often, but I really hope that I'll find space for him if it would fit his character.**

**And Neo. Well, she's doing her thing. Planning ahead of time and trying to keep her desires in check.**


	23. Ups and Downs

**Okay, I swear I did not plan to be finished as fast as it was. Two days, almost. But by the time I decided I wrote enough for the day, I saw that I had written over 2k words of the chapter. I'm a fan of this chapter, mainly from how simply it came together for me, as well as the character interactions.**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 23: Ups and Downs**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**August 11th**

**Sunday**

**Clear**

Azura had stepped just outside of JNPR's dorm when he saw Weiss open the door to RWBY's own dorm and grab onto him.

"Wha!" Azura yelped in surprise, getting dragged into their dorm as she closed the door again.

As he shook his head and rebalanced himself, he looked around at all of team RWBY, noticing Sun and talking to him.

"Did you get dragged into whatever is happening here too?"

Sun grinned. "Nope. I totally just eavesdropped and now I get to tag along."

Azura looked at the others, and upon not receiving any words disagreeing with Sun, sighed. "So why am I here? Or rather, why did Weiss see fit to kidnap me as I leave my dorm?"

"It's not a kidnapping!" Weiss complained.

"You literally stole him and forced him in here. That's close enough." Yang said, shrugging.

Sun looked between a frowning Weiss and a smirking Yang, deciding to break the silence. "Sooo...is someone gonna explain why we decided to kidnap Azura when he has no idea what's going on?"

Weiss scoffed, like her reasoning was good enough. "Well, we needed to even out the groups, obviously."

"Weiss, we have entirely separate groups. Me and Sun, you and Ruby, and Yang decided to go alone. I doubt Azura needs to be going with her, no?" Blake said, eyeing Ruby and Azura before looking at weiss again.

Azura remained silent, deciding to let things play out.

Yang coughed to once more cut the silence. "Yeah, my job doesn't exactly require anyone else. Besides, it'll be easier if I do it that way."

Ruby watched the conversation for a few moments longer before speaking. "So why don't we have Azura join me and Weiss? Since we are kind of deciding that…"

Before anyone else could respond, Azura spoke. "Can I at least know what's happening?"

Weiss sighed. "We're investigating the White Fang. Me and Ruby are going to the CCT to check the Schnee records about dust robberies. I'm in the family, so it should be easy to get. Blake and Sun are going to a White Fang rally meeting to see what's going on and any plans that they can find. Yang's...being shady and talking to an info broker."

Azura took in the info, then spoke again, more nonchalantly. "Well, I'll join Weiss and Ruby, then. Shouldn't be too big of a deal, yeah?"

When Weiss nodded, Yang went for the hanging fruit of a joke. "So, we gonna talk about the fact that our resident Ice Queen was the first one to drag a boy in here for a quick 'chat'? Looks like our little queen is growing a soft side!"

Ruby groaned and Blake rolled her eyes, Sun laughed, and Weiss was glaring at Yang. After a moment, she sighed, and moved to open the door. "Not even going to entertain your fantasy, Yang Xiao Long."

And with that, she left, with a Ruby running after her, crying out. "Wait, Weiss! Don't forget me!"

Azura sighed, speaking aloud. "What have I just decided to join?"

As Yang passed him, she patted him on the shoulder. "It's an adventure, Snow. Better get going before the icicle gets a little pointed."

Azura chuckled, moving past her. "Terrible pun, as always, Yang."

As he moved to catch up with Weiss and Ruby, he heard her laughing.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"Yes, Atlas made the first of the CCT towers to allow the kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the 'Great War'." Weiss explained to Ruby, like she was an instructor.

And, in classic Ruby fashion, she mocked it jokingly, making her voice lower and more smooth. "Oh, look at me! I'm Weiss, I know facts, I'm a rich Ice Queen!" She giggled, amused with her own antics.

Azura smirked as he watched Weiss respond. "Don't patronize me, you pest. You wanted to come here anyway! We could have done this in the library."

Ruby bent over, faking a melancholic look. "But this is so much better…" She quickly straightened out, excited again. "I need to take a picture!"

Though, as she went to get her scroll out, she ended up fumbling it out of her hands and forward several feet. They all moved forward to go and get it, but quickly saw a familiar face grab it and look at them.

"Penny?" Azura asked, wondering what she was doing here.

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed, moving closer.

Though, the orange haired girl merely handed the scroll back to Ruby and then swiftly walked off. Ruby turned around, seeming confused.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't know." Ruby said, confused. "But I'm going to find out!"

Azura and Weiss watched Ruby leave, running off and calling for Penny. Azura raised an eyebrow, then turned to Luna.

"Follow after her, make sure she's safe." He said, watching her go, then looked over at Weiss. "Well...shall we continue?"

Weiss sighed. "I suppose we shall. That was a peculiar encounter, was it not?"

Azura shrugged. "We tend to have a lot of those."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I know."

They turned to move through the courtyard to the entrance of the CCT, Beacon students walking around them as they did so.

Once entering the building, however, Azura looked around the building. It resembled most other Beacon buildings, with the regal look and simplistic color choices. Seeing Weiss looking at him, he moved to walk next to her.

"Sorry. I haven't been in this building yet." He explained.

"I figured. Well, let's get moving." Weiss responded as they walked.

Moving through another door on their left, Azura saw a dark silver looking room with green lights, very much not like Beacon's simplistic and regal look. A central terminal was seen, as well as several elevators placed around.

He followed Weiss to one of the elevator doors, then entered it with her. The doors closed, and a robotic voice came from a scanner on the wall, sounding female.

"Hello, welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?"

Weiss quickly responded. "I'd like to go to the communications room, please."

Azura smiled at how polite Weiss always was. It was fun to watch at times.

"Absolutely. Can you and and any companions in the elevator please place your scrolls on the terminal for identification?" The voice responded.

Weiss placed her own scroll on the terminal, and it flashed green. The same occurred when Azura placed his scroll on it as well.

"Perfect. Thank you, Miss Schnee. Mister Heart."

The light vanished and, as the elevator started to move up and Azura leaned against the wall, Weiss started to practice her smiles.

Once she tried and failed to smile genuinely three times, he spoke. "It's okay, Weiss. It'll be a short conversation, right?"

Weiss sighed, nodding. "Yeah. Doesn't mean I shouldn't practice."

Azura frowned, but decided to not push it as the doors pushed open and she walked through. He followed after her. It was a large room, Azura noted, with several glass windows and monitors and seats scattered everywhere. Some students were currently using them, but most were empty. To his left was a blue screen with four symbols on it, showing the status of the CCTs in the other kingdoms.

They approached a holographic woman, and it spoke once they approached. "Welcome to the Beacon Transcontinental Transmit Center." It smiled warmly. "How may I help you?"

Azura felt a little weirded out by the hologram, but made no comment and let Weiss speak.

"I need to make a call to the Schnee Company headquarters in Atlas."

The hologram closed its eyes and smiled again. "Absolutely. If you head over to terminal three, I can patch you through."

Weiss nodded her head. "Thank you."

As they walked away, Azura whispered to Weiss. "Am I weird to find that lady kinda scary?"

Weiss gave him a glance from the side, then shook her head, amused with his question. Azura stuck his tongue out at her, dropping it.

Weiss sat down at the terminal, while Azura stood by. As the screen remained blank, she sighed heavily and made a rather down face. He placed a hand on her back, and smiled once she looked up at him. Her face dropped to a more neutral look, then looked at the screen again as it showed a worker for the SDC.

"Thank you for calling the Atlas-oh! Miss Schnee! Good afternoon. Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."

Azura couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Weiss give a warm smile as she answered. "No, thank you."

It felt so fake and hollow to him.

"I was wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list."

Once she connected her scroll to the machine, the worker seemed surprised.

"I see. If I may ask, what is this for?"

"School project." Was Weiss's smooth response.

It felt weird to see her act like that.

"With all due respect, ma'am, there is some sensitive info on this list."

Weiss smiled again. "Then I will be sure to treat them with care."

The skeptical look on the worker's face said otherwise. "Right. The data is being transferred to your scroll now."

"Wonderful! That will be all, then." Weiss said with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Are you sure you would not like to talk with your father, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss nodded quickly. "Yes, I am sure."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Well, have a nice day, Miss Schnee." 

The screen turned off and left them with a reflection of Weiss's smiling face, before it dropped to a more tired look.

Azura frowned as he looked at it. "Weiss? Everything okay?"

"Yeah...just fine." Weiss responded quietly.

Azura felt that he shouldn't ask about anything, so he tried to shift her mind away from whatever she was thinking of.

"Well, it seems like you might need a bit of cheering up."

Weiss looked up, sighing. "Azura, please don't."

He frowned in response, unsure of what to say.

Weiss got up, heading for the elevator in silence. Her stride was stiff and she seemed rather distracted. Azura sighed, following after her into the elevator. As it went down, Summer spoke.

"_Certainly seems like family issues, if I have any say. I suggest that you just leave her be for now. We got the info we were looking for._"

"_True. But she seemed, I don't know, more upset than she's letting on. Do you think we should've tried to get the info in another way?_" Azura asked.

Summer chuckled. "_Azura, dear, I worry about you sometimes. She wouldn't have done this if she couldn't handle herself for it. Think of it like this, she knew what she would have to face making that call._"

Azura remained silent, not liking the idea of one of his friends dealing with something like that just to get some info. He couldn't help but wonder if there was another way they could have used.

Shaking his head, he stepped out of the elevator with Weiss. Walking out of the CCT was a quiet affair, but he made sure to keep an eye on her, watching her calm face from the side. Though, he didn't have long before Weiss pulled out her scroll, hearing a ringing come from it. They stepped to the side, out of the way of other students, and Azura listened to Weiss talk.

"Ruby? Where are you?" Weiss asked, listening to the response. "What do you mean in Vale? And Penny?" Growing silent again, a look of confusion crossed her face. "What? No, you dolt, I have no idea what you are talking about." She sighs. "Alright, fine. I'll come meet you. Shall I bring Azura?"

Though, Azura felt his personal scroll go off a moment later, and he tuned out of their conversation as he looked at it. It was a message from an unknown number.

"Hey, you. Your friends from the docks are going to do something stupid. Come and help me, and I'll keep them alive."

He looked below and found a non-descriptive picture with a location. Some back road of Vale. Frowning, he looked up at Weiss and closed his scroll.

She had clearly already finished her call with Ruby, looking at him expectantly.

"When's the next airship going out?" He asked, trying to remain calm.

"We have five minutes." Weiss responds.

Azura nodded, moving forward at a jog. "Let's get going, can't miss it."

He just hoped she didn't notice the twitching of his fingers.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Giving a quick excuse to Weiss that he would meet them just a little later had been easy, easier than he thought.

As he ran through the streets, first with plenty of people, but that crowds started to thin out as he went further into the shadier side of Vale. Summer's petals flew everywhere as he went along, trying to get there as soon as he could. He kept looking around his surroundings, looking for the specific building that had been shown. He assumed it would be in a large and empty building, since he had been told that Blake and Sun would be going to some White Fang recruitment.

He stopped when he saw a warehouse with one White Fang member lying on the ground. He approached the Faunus, finding him to be unconscious. He sighed in relief, then looked around.

Finding a peculiar set of boxes that seemed to be set up specifically to get into a high up window, Azura looked up and found Neo looking at him. She nodded her head to signal that she wanted him to go to her, and vanished.

Azura looked between the boxes, then signaled for Summer to trigger her semblance. As he hopped from box to box, he made it to the window, grabbing onto it and somewhat stealthily climbing through it. He landed on what he saw was the catwalk above everything, crouching as he set his feet on the ground. Neo was beside him, and once she saw that she had his attention, she pointed through the crowd.

As he followed her finger, he saw what seemed to be a disguised Blake and Sun. Nodding, Azura whispered to Neo.

"Any way to not have me be recognized? I know I agreed to help you, but I can't just risk being found out."

Neo nodded, a playful smirk seen on her lips. It made him realize that she could easily see him, despite being human. Unnerving, really.

Seeing a dimly lit scroll turned to him, he saw her response. "Yes. I can wreath you with my semblance. It will keep you disguised to everyone as a black haired man with green eyes. Clothing is the same, but the colors are different. Even those petals will not be seen. It'll be enough."

Azura nodded, not wanting to question the sudden act of trust about telling him about her semblance.

Turning to look down at the warehouse ground, he could see recruits moving forward to clearly do something, while Blake and Sun stood by. He frowned, unable to do much but watch for what they would do.

Neo tugged on his sleeve, and he moved along with her on the catwalk. Surprise filled him at the sight of a massive mechanical...well, mech. It was something he didn't even know was a thing. But it was easy to connect what the robberies were for.

"That's got to need a lot of dust to power that thing." Azura muttered.

He continued moving with Neo, and he could see that they were making way to the entrance. Though he stopped moving once all of the lights below suddenly shut off after he heard a gunshot, the last thing he saw being Blake firing a bullet at what he assumed to now be a power circuit.

Using his better night vision, he grabbed Neo as chaos erupted among the crowd, speaking to her.

"I can see better in the dark, Faunus perk!" He said, trying to explain to her when he saw her surprised look. He looked down, not seeing Blake and Sun anymore.

Though, he didn't need too long to search before a window on the second floor shattered, two figured flying through it.

Though, a larger hole was made in the warehouse as he saw the mech slam through it, causing him to speak louder than intended.

"Shit!"

He looked at Neo, speaking fast, "Come on, we gotta go after them! Me for Blake and Sun, you for Torchwick!"

He ran off, hearing her follow after him. Jumping through a higher up window, he landed on the roof that jutted out with a roll, seeing Neo do the same. From there, they caught sight of Blake and Sun running along the roofs.

Giving chase, they hopped from roof to roof, making their way towards them. The mech could be heard making thundering noises as it ran after Blake and Sun, and he could see it racing through the streets and causing damage to the buildings around them.

They were able to keep up with it easily enough, though he could see that they were starting to be further away from both the mech with Torchwick and Blake and Sun. As the buildings and roads became more defined, he could hear the sounds of hundreds of cars coming up.

They landed on one more building before stopping, the multiple hanging overpasses that intercrossed visible. He took in the distant mech with cars being flung to the side, clenching his teeth. The reckless killing made him sick, but he shook his head.

Turning to Neo, he spoke quickly. "We'll have to catch up to them. I can do that, but you need to hang onto me."

She nodded, allowing Azura to scoop her up in his arms.

Speaking aloud, he crouched down slightly. "Trigger it."

Within an instant, they were off, Neo's hair flying wildly as his transparent cloak flapped in the wind. Racing through the cars and jumping through others, the distant mech was coming closer, but still not as fast as he would hope.

He strained the semblance, and the humming from the runes raised into a crescendo as he did so.

Several more moments of hopping along cars, he saw a glimpse of Blake and Sun jumping across from one overpass to a lower one. The mech jumped after them, and he could already hear the giant thud that resonated through the ground.

"Brace!" He called out as he leapt off of the overpass to the lower one, barely managing to dodge a flung car as he did so.

He grunted as he landed, but pushed himself to keep going with the speed. Despite Neo's size and clearly light body, it was enough to make the speed of Summer's semblance slow down.

He was able to stay behind the mech, but was barely making any new distance. As he hopped from car to car, he could see Sun land on the mech, whacking at it and clearly trying to damage it. After a few moments, the mech spun its topside as it kept moving, and he could see Sun get flung from it.

Azura almost stopped to go get him, but he quickly saw him bouncing on what seemed to be his clones. Shaking his head, he kept going as car after car was flung around. For a few moments more, it seemed that the Mech was going to just keep after Blake, but once he saw ice cover several meters of the road, he realized that Blake had sent a distress signal to her team.

No one but Weiss would freeze over an entire section of an overpass to stop a mech.

Only for the mech to somersault over the ice.

"Fucking why?!" Azura exclaimed. As they closed in on the ice, with no other object to get over it, Azura prepared to go sliding across it.

"Might want to get a better grip, Neo!" He called out.

Using her small size, she managed to wrap her arms around his neck, her face in the crook of his neck as her hair blew in the wind. Her legs wrapped around his waist and Azura hit the ice.

With the speed he had already been using, he slid with a massive amount of momentum. As he neared the edge, he called out again.

"Now would be a good time to pull some new trick out, Summer!"

"_Trying!_" Summer yelled out. "_Jump up!_"

Feeling a surge in his legs, he jumped, and it was like some massive burst of speed flew him in the air. There was also the sharp crack of the glyphs starting to break from the sudden action.

Azura managed to land on his feet again, running much slower than before, but still going. He looked ahead, seeing Blake wrap her bindings on the mech's arm, using her momentum to twist it, since Torchwick had to keep the mech moving with it, unless he lost an arm on the mech.

They vanished as the mech and Blake went off of the overpass, and soon, another crash was heard.

As they came to the same place it fell, Azura slowed down and stopped. His breathing was ragged, but he still crouched down to let Neo get off of him. After a few moments, he looked over and saw all of team RWBY together, confusing Torchwick with some ice dust mist covering the ground.

Watching it unfold, he moved to Neo. "You need to be in a position to get him out. You clearly have something in mind, right?"

Neo nodded, but did not elaborate on it.

Azura frowned as he looked down at the fight, Ruby had just slashed at it, and it was easy to hear the metal rip apart and whine. He took his beacon scroll out, seeing that he was at 73% aura, having used Summer's semblance for an extended time.

"Neo, you have to make it seem like we fought. Quick, while I keep my aura down!" He said to her, letting his aura down, the cloak vanishing.

She moved over to him and, without thought, punched him to the side of his nose.

He put a hand to his mouth and nose as he winced at the pain. Pulling his hand away, he saw blood directly on it.

"You have a mean right hook, lady." He said sharply.

She smirked, slicing his cheek as well.

"Ow!" Azura exclaimed. "You and your-"

He froze midway as he felt her tongue move along his cheek, directly on the cut. She moved back, then quickly vanished with a shatter of her illusion.

"That cannot be healthy for me…" Azura muttered to himself.

Though, he could see Yang flaring up and clearly angry. He jumped off just as she charged forward at the mech, smashing her fist into the arm of the mech with a brutal crack.

Triggering Summer's semblance and taking his weapons out, he landed with a grunt, feeling a chunk of his aura quite literally drop suddenly.

"Even slowing down with forcing your speed to drag me backwards...that still sucked…"

He moved to catch up with the others, seeing Torchwick on the ground with a destroyed mech behind him. Luna moved over to him while he did so, her eyes wide as she saw the blood on his face.

"Ladies. Ice Queen." The man said.

"Hey!" Weiss said, offended.

"Hey, it's the kiddo too! Though...looks like you took another beating!"

Ruby and Blake looked back to find Azura, who was grinning as he caught up.

"Guess we take this guy down now." He said, raising his weapons.

Yang growled, shooting out a flaming shot from her gauntlets towards torchwick. But just as it was about to land, the lady of the hour, Neo, showed up and blocked it with her parasol.

"Sorry gang, but this isn't a mystery for you to solve just yet. Leave that to the group with the talking dog, you hear?" He said, amused. "Now, I must be going. Thank you for your time."

Neo winked at Azura, before bowing and staying in that position. Yang leapt to them, smashing her fist into Neo, the image of her and Torchwick shattering into glass as she did so.

Yang shook her hands out at her side, sighing. Everyone came up behind her as Weiss spoke.

"Well, looks like our plan...shattered into pieces."

Ruby giggled for a moment and Azura smirked, though it pained him.

"No. Just no." Blake said.

"Talk about terrible timing, Ice Queen." Yang commented.

Weiss waved her arms dramatically. "What? But you get to do it!"

"Yeah, because there's a time and a place to make jokes."

"And this isn't it?!" Weiss exclaimed.

Yang smirked. "No."

Azura rubbed his nose again, the blood seeming to dry as he did so. "You tried, Weiss. You get bonus points on your next quiz for that."

Weiss looked over at him, glaring. "I don't want to hear it from 'I'll catch up with you guys later', Azura."

Azura laughed. "I had reason!"

Weiss waved him off. "Whatever you say."

"You guys got to fight a mech! A mech!" Azura said, opening his arms as he waved to the destroyed mess.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "And what about you? You're bleeding...somehow. Did you get caught off guard not once, but twice?"

Azura blinked, deciding to take the words for what they were, nodding with a smile. "Yep!"

Weiss scoffed. "Seriously?"

Ruby started to approach him, clearly looking to see if she could help, and Azura made to step back and get away before he was grabbed and had Blake directly in front of him.

Her amber eyes had a knowing look in them, though she made a face as she wiped at the slice on his cheek. He tilted his head, whispering.

"Later."

She nodded, wiping at it again to get the blood off of it. She grabbed his head, as if inspecting it for anything else, then spoke.

"He's fine, Ruby. Just a little beat up. You know how these things go."

As sirens blared and a certain blonde professor approached with them, Ruby and Weiss walked forward to meet them, with Yang just behind. As they did so, Blake spoke quietly, with a hint of disgust.

"Saliva? Really?"

Azura shrugged as she let go of his face. "Sorry. Bring it up with the ice cream flavor if it's an issue to you. Because I'm a tad bit too scared to stop her, not that she's slow about it. By the time it's happened, all I can do is question my life choices."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Seriously, a joke? You and Weiss?" She shook her head. "Whatever. You're safe, then?"

"Yeah." He responded.

"Good. Now, come on...we have some serious things to report." Blake said.

Azura looked up at the overpasses again. "Yeah. Yeah, we do."

As the walked slowly to Glynda and Blake's team, she sighed and spoke again.

"It's terrible. I just hope there was more injured than dead."

Azura patted her on the back and shook his head. "I hope so too. We all do. You think we'll be labeled poorly for this? Not that a rating or whatever is what I care about."

"I don't know. I doubt it would be labeled as our fault, seeing as we did technically give chase, in a way."

Azura frowned. "I suppose so. You think Sun is doing good?"

Blake smirked, letting the dark topic drop. "Probably. I'm sure he's eating some noodles or something, knowing him."

Azura rolled his eyes at the image. "Yeah, that does sound like him."

Even with the light words, Azura stepped closer to Blake and placed his hand on her back, tapping his fingers. She let him do so.

It somehow made him feel better to know that it was Blake who knew what he was up to. In this moment, she was the only one who knew what these situations were like, given her past.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"Nothing. We got nothing. No punishment at all for ruined property or harm to civilians." Blake said, leaning against the wall in the RWBY dorm with Azura.

With the other three gone, it gave them a moment to talk about their long discussion with Miss Goodwitch on what they should actually do when such an incident occurs within the city of Vale.

"I guess not. While it's the best case scenario...it feels off." Azura responded.

"It feels scripted, you mean. If I had to guess…"

Azura frowned, knowing what she was thinking. "You believe that Ozpin pulled some strings."

Blake nods. "I do. As headmaster to Beacon, he has final say in the matters of his students. It's likely that he excused us from any damage we caused."

The door opened, letting in the three other members of team RWBY, with Yang talking. "Who excused us from any damage we caused?"

Azura waited for the door to close again. "Ozpin, likely."

As everyone moved to sit on their beds, Azura leaned on the wall and spoke again. "As headmaster, he would have the power to do it, which is what Blake was saying."

Weiss lifted a hand to her chin. "Not wrong...he would be able to do with all the power he has as the headmaster of a huntsman academy."

Yang shrugged. "Well, that's no matter. What I want to know is who Azura was fighting against on the overpass."

Weiss nodded and Ruby looked over at him. Blake watched passively, and Yang looked at them before turning to Azura as well. "Well? Who was it?"

"Neo, Torchwick's partner in crime. Caught me by surprise while I was giving chase to the mech." Azura said.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "So...she managed to cause those wounds while you have a Huntress inside your head that has clearly increased your evasive speed?"

"It does seem odd." Yang said.

Azura rolled his eyes. "I want you to have to deal with a girl who can summon illusions of all kinds at will. Let me tell you, it's really hard to work around, trained Huntress or not."

"_Not to mention the fact that you told her to wound you._" Summer commented.

"_Some details aren't supposed to exist._" Azura responded dryly.

"And she's clearly a skilled fighter, if she's managed to hurt Azura not once, but in both fights Azura has had with her." Blake said, supplying some good cover.

Ruby frowned. "Well, we'll just be more careful around Torchwick and this Neo next time, right?"

Seeing everyone nod, she spoke again. "Now, what have we learned from our investigation so far?"

Blake was first to answer. "Me and Sun learned what all of the dust was being used for. The White Fang have their hands on several Atlas Paladins, but we never found out just how many they really had."

Yang shook her head. "Nothing from me. My contact was utterly useless in this case."

Weiss spoke last. "Well, we know that they are not being selective in what dust shops they rob. But the reports are citing that most of the shops being hit were in the southeastern portion of Vale. It's safe to say that they might be operating somewhere from there."

"We didn't get much, but it's certainly a good start. They are large enough to be able to smuggle military grade tech, but mainly work within Vale. Seems like outside help." Blake said.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Well, it's late, so we should call it a night."

Azura took that as his cue to leave the dorm, giving his goodbyes to the team.

He sighed once the door closed, standing in the hall silently. Luna was looking at him, concern on her face.

"_I have a feeling that we'll be messaged by her again soon._" Summer said.

"_But what for?_" Azura responded, thinking.

"_I don't know. But things are starting to escalate to a dangerous level, and she did say that she'd message you when she needed your help. She did it tonight, but everything managed to go in both yours and her favor this time._" Summer explained.

Azura nodded, thinking about the incident they dealt with today. He sighed again. _"Well, let's just hope my next meeting with Neo won't involve my friends. That was dangerous._"

He made his way into the JNPR dorm, waving tiredly to his team, and quickly falling asleep on his bed once he laid in it.

**.**

**.(Chapter end)**

**.**

**As said in the initial AN at the start of the chapter, I surprised myself with how fast this chapter came together. Not much to say about the chapter, so I won't try to go all over the place with explanations.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	24. New Meetings

**At this point, I'm just going to accept that I am writing these chapters as fast as I am. I'm enjoying it, and as I said back in chapter 21, I really am glad to be back with writing GVLP. Hope you guys are enjoying the large amount of chapters coming out at the speed that they are!**

**Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 24: New Meetings**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**August 15th**

**Thursday**

**Clear**

Azura had counted four days since he had last left Beacon grounds. Four days of simply repeating the same things. Wake up early, daily run, study, eat, train alone, and sleep.

And currently, he was playing with the switchblade Neo left again. Aimlessly laying in his bed, spinning around and around.

"_Ironic, isn't it? We agree with Weiss that we need some normalcy, and when we get it, it's boring to you._" Summer said.

"_Did the same thing happen to you, when you got some stuff to do?_"

Summer laughed. "_I didn't get action until later in my first year. About a month or so from now, if I recall correctly. It seems that you guys are jumping ahead of that to get some stuff earlier._"

Azura smiled, twisting the switchblade through his fingers. "_You know how us young ones are. We tend to jump at any chance of adventure._"

"_And there I was, accepting my first mission and being excited just for that. Never would have thought the next generation of Huntsmen would be so thirsty for it._"

Azura nodded slightly. "_When did you get your first mission, anyway? You made it seem like Beacon will give out a mission to the first years soon._"

"_They will, yeah. It was small stuff, though. Nothing that'll make you bleed or go into a three day coma._"

"_That sucks. I really enjoy that stuff._" Azura said jokingly, laughing lightly.

Summer laughed with him. "_Yeah, I'm sure you do. Are you a masochist or something?_"

Azura rolled his eyes. "_Not that I know of. I mean, do you think I enjoyed Neo punching my face in?_"

"_I mean, you did tell her to do it…_" Summer said, teasingly.

Azura sighed, laying on the bed and keeping the switchblade on hand. "_Don't ignore the context, Summer. I had my reasons._"

A giggle was all he heard in response.

"_Shush, you._"

He listened to her giggle again, then calm down with a small sigh. "_I'll admit, I missed this kind of thing._"

"_I assume...your team had this?_"

Azura thought of those memories he saw from Summer, and frowned.

"_Yeah. With Raven, Qrow…_" The woman sighed. "_Tai._"

"_Who is Qrow? I know Raven and Tai are clearly important, but this Qrow keeps getting mentioned._" Azura asked.

"_Qrow...well, he's certainly someone. Blake reminds me of him. Paranoid and with a dark past. You also remind me of Qrow at times. When you first came here especially._"

"_Ruby called him uncle. Are you or Tai related to him?_"

"_He's Raven's brother. Stayed with us after…_" Summer trailed off.

"_After Raven left._" Azura finished for her.

Summer coughed awkwardly, then continued. "_So, yeah, he stayed. Kinda became a part of the larger family. He loves Yang and Ruby to death. It's cute._"

Azura chuckled. "_Well, that's enough of that. I can feel that you don't like talking about this stuff._"

"_I've had a lot of time to dwell on the past. It's draining. So...I appreciate it. Thanks, Azura._"

Azura hummed in response, lifting the switchblade back up to play with it again. Silence reigned through the dorm, with Luna lightly sitting at the head of the bed, playing with Azura's hair.

Looking at the switchblade made him think of Neo, since it was technically hers. Part of him wondered what she was up to at the moment, but he quickly shook the question out of his head.

"Damn my bleeding heart." Azura whispered.

Hearing the door open, he ended up seeing Jaune and Pyrrha walk through. They were talking to each other, with Jaune walking backwards.

"Oh come on, Pyrrha! You're gonna make my arms fall off!" Jaune whined.

Pyrrha laughed. "Please, you'll be fine. Shouldn't you say something about it building character?"

"I don't want to say something like that while my body is ready to fall apart…" Jaune sighed dramatically, falling against his bed.

Pyrrha smiled warmly as she looked at Jaune, then stepped over to her bed as she took her headpiece off. "You have aura for a reason, you know."

Jaune waved her off. "Yeah, yeah."

Pyrrha shook her head, turning to look at Azura. Her green eyes slightly dimmed, and he could feel her looking at his cheek specifically.

"It's mostly healed, Pyrrha. I just haven't put aura into healing it faster." Azura said, keeping his eyes on the switchblade he was playing with.

Pyrrha blushed slightly, embarrassed. "Don't you worry about me. I'm just doing my...uh…"

"Your mother hen act?" Jaune supplied.

"Yes. My...mother hen act." Pyrrha shook her head. "No matter. Why do you keep playing with that switchblade? You've done it for the past four days now."

Azura stopped playing with it, looking over at Pyrrha. "Just something fun to do in between what I have been doing. Helps me think."

She tilted her head. "Well, what are you thinking of?"

"_The ice cream psychopath, apparently._" Summer said dryly.

"_I mean, she's gonna be in and out of our lives, it seems._" Azura said to Summer.

Azura spoke aloud a moment later. "Uh...just recent events. Not everyday that you get punched in the nose, you know."

"Or cut across the cheek." Jaune added on.

"_Or have your face licked. Which is gross, by the way._" Summer said.

"I see. I do admit to feeling...somewhat concerned for you and team Ruby. You seem to always get in one dangerous situation or another." Pyrrha stated.

Azura sat up and shrugged. "Comes with the job. Or, well, the job we'll eventually get."

Pyrrha frowned at the words, but Jaune chuckled and spoke before her. "He's got a point there."

"Regardless of that." Pyrrha looked between the two boys. "A certain someone never called his team for help. There's an emergency button for a reason, you know."

Azura shrugged again. "Most of the aura I lost was from semblance usage and any other small hits I took."

Pyrrha frowned again, displeased. "Can you at least seriously use it when needed. We were in a bit of a panic when you're aura kept dipping, take a large hit, then suddenly stop going down."

Azura looked away. "Yeah, I will. Sorry."

Pyrrha nodded, then got up. "Well, I must shower. Me and Jaune have been training all day."

Jaune groaned. "I'll be here...probably sleeping."

Pyrrha smiled, shaking her head, then headed into the bathroom and closing the door.

Azura looked over at where Jaune was laying. "You going to need some help there, leader mine?"

"Uh...maybe with getting this armor off. I feel like my arms are made of jello right now." Jaune said, groaning as he sat up.

Azura chuckled, putting the switchblade away in his pocket, then walked over to Jaune. As he placed his hand on the first of the straps keeping the armor on Jaune, he decided to make some conversation.

"So, how has training with Pyrrha been going for you?"

Jaune shrugged. "Not terrible. She's a hard trainer though...but even I can tell when I'm improving as a fighter."

Azura nods, unstrapping on piece and moving on to the other side of the chestplate. "That's good. You feeling more confident? It's easy to see that you weren't comfortable with being a leader at first."

Jaune sighed. "Well, I'm still unsure of that stuff. But you guys seem to not mind it."

Azura laughed. "Course we don't. We're all still learning what it's like to be in a team. Even if me and Pyra have been a bit distant recently."

The chestplate unlatched swiftly with Azura helping Jaune, and Azura brought it to the closet as Jaune responded.

"We don't blame you guys for that. Well, I know that I don't." He looked down at his hands. "I understand what it's like to feel like an imposter to something."

Azura looked at Jaune, a twinge of concern reaching his heart. "You doing okay?"

Jaune looked up, turning to look at Azura. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm doing okay." He smiled lopsidedly, looking like he was about to fall asleep. "But don't be afraid to ask us for help, Azura. You might spend a lot of time with team Ruby compared to us, but you're still a member of team Juniper."

Azura smiled. "You're a good friend, Jaune. A great partner to Pyrrha and an excellent leader, as well."

Jaune smiled back lazily. "Thanks, Azura. You're a good friend yourself." He laid against the bed. "Well, I'm going to sleep."

Azura chuckled, watching him for a moment. "You do that." He makes his way for the door, opening it.

"_Going for a night run?_" Summer asked.

"_Yeah. Feeling a bit restless._"

He closed the door, stretching as he walked down the dim hall.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 17th**

**Saturday**

**Cloudy**

Azura had to admit that he forgot about the cracks in the glyphs on his body. So much had happened that day, that it had slipped from his mind.

Weiss didn't care about that fact, it seemed.

"You absolute idiot! How do you just forget about the very thing keeping Summer's semblance in check?"

"It's technically stunting her semblance more than keeping it in check." Azura responded dryly.

The glare he received quickly shut him up. "Okay, okay. I'll just shut up."

Weiss nodded. "At least you have some intelligence in your empty skull."

She was having him sit in front of him while in the training halls. She had been on her way to train when she found him and noticed the glyphs.

"What even caused the glyphs to start to break like this?" Weiss asked as she worked on the center battery of the glyphs.

Azura tilted his head. "Well, as I've told you in the past, it was doing the same hum that they do when I have Summer's semblance active. But I was already pushing the limits of the speed, and it had gotten louder as I did that."

Weiss frowned. "I doubt that would crack the glyphs this badly. You did something else, correct?"

"Yeah. I needed to clear a large space in order to not get hurt in the process. And well, Summer told me to focus on my legs and jump when she told me to. When I jumped, it was like I launched myself with a large burst of speed before it quickly brought me back to the limit that you set. That was when I heard the glyph on my cheek crack. Obviously, the other glyphs didn't like it either." Azura explained, leaving out the details as to why he needed to do it.

Weiss shook her head, as if disappointed, then looked up as her blue eyes widened. "Wait."

Azura kept still, blinking. "What?"

"You said that Summer told you to do that, right?" She asked.

"Yeah." He responded.

"Well, that means that you can use her semblance for more than one use." She smirked in excitement. "Azura, that's amazing!"

"_Well, now I'm confused. Why wouldn't he be able to use other things my semblance could do?_" Summer asked.

"As Summer just said to me, why is this so amazing?" Azura asked, his own confusion present.

Weiss rolled his eyes. "The two of you...honestly. It shows that Azura is able to fully use someone's semblance outside of basic functions, but he needs to be uh...what's the word you've been using...ah! Soul bonded. Azura can fully make use of Summer's semblance when soul bonded."

Azura nodded. "Yeah. I figured that should have been possible anyway."

Weiss sighed. "Azura, think for a moment. You are the only case of someone being able to use someone else's semblance. You didn't get it from blood relation or something, you are using your semblance to be able to use Summer's."

"Oh." Azura said, as if fully understanding. "So that means that...in a way, my soul is Summer Rose's, and hers is Azura Heart's?"

Weiss shrugged. "I do not know that. This is a very rare occurrence, one that I do not recall ever hearing of."

"_But...wouldn't that mean…_" Summer trails off.

"_Summer?_" Azura asked, holding a hand up for Weiss, signaling her to wait for a moment.

"_It's...it's nothing. Don't worry about it._"

"_You sure?_"

"_Yeah._"

Azura felt a hand press on his shoulder, and he looked back at Weiss.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

Azura nodded. "Yeah. Did you finish everything you needed to?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. The main fractures on your legs are finished, as well as your wrists, since those were surprisingly only minorly damaged. The battery glyph and the one on your cheek are left."

Azura nodded again. "Well, why don't we finish those?"

"Right. Give me your face."

Azura did so, and Weiss was quick to examine the glyph. "The action you took damaged the glyphs on the legs the most, and the arms were mostly untouched. So...why is this one damaged? And in such a different way."

He saw her frown, wondering what it was like. Weiss caught his glance, and spoke again.

"Well, outside of the arms, the glyphs on your ankles were splintered from the inside. Think of it like breaking a mirror, you hit the mirror from the center and it fractures outward to the edge of it. That's what happened to those." She pauses, and frowns again. "Well, the one on your cheek is one singular cut through it. Like a trench in the ground." She shakes her head, focusing on her task again. "I doubt it particularly means anything, but it is certainly odd."

Azura simply let Weiss do her work from there until she finished. She moved back and breathed out, moving some strands of hair out of her face.

"You said the battery needs to get looked at as well, right? I had thought you put quite a lot of aura in there for the glyphs." Azura said.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to check if the battery also cracked. That is what I mainly want to check for, but you bring up a point. I can do both." Weiss said.

Azura shrugs. "Sounds good. Shall I?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Azura took his sweatshirt off, and then his shirt. Weiss looked away for a moment, then turned back to him and held her hands just above the glyph on his chest, looking awkward.

"So it did crack. Very slightly though. Which is good. If this one broke as badly as the ones on the legs, you would go flying at a hundred plus miles per hour."

Since it was small, Weiss didn't have to take long to fix it. She leaned back up, looking away again.

"Come on, Weiss. It's hardly the first time you've seen me shirtless." Azura said as he put his shirt back on, amused.

"Don't make it seem like it's an everyday occurrence, you dolt!" Weiss exclaimed.

Azura laughed, putting his sweatshirt back on. "What did I say about nicknames again, Weiss?"

"It's that damnable silver eye, I tell you! I look at you and...ugh. It makes me just want to call you what I call Ruby."

"A dolt?" Azura said, smirking.

Weiss jabbed a finger his direction, narrowing her eyes at him. "Shush, you. I don't need you to be another Yang, teasing me for every little thing."

Azura laughed, standing up. "You got it, Ice Queen."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I still don't forgive you for making that nickname exist."

"Well, why don't you fight me over it?" Azura replied, jokingly.

"Maybe I should." Weiss retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Azura shook his head. "Perhaps. On a more serious note, why don't you and I actually train? Maybe have a spar, since it seemed like you were on your way to do some weapon training."

Weiss nods. "That sounds like a grand idea. Let's do that."

They make their way down to the arenas downstairs, setting up a large arena for them to use. Azura thought about how well-timed it was for them to have already been in the training halls.

"_You up for a spar against Weiss?_" Azura asked Summer.

"_Hm? Yeah, sure._" Summer responded.

"First to fifteen percent aura, that's all. No knockouts, given the barrier." Weiss said, stepping to the other side of the arena.

Azura stayed on his own side, looking over at Luna. "You feel like dealing with two? Well, three, if you count Summer."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather just have the duel-like fight, thank you very much."

Luna put on a whole sad act, before gently floating off to Azura and tapping his nose. He looked over at her, and saw her put a fist to her hand, then pointed at Weiss. She smirked with a joking look in her yellow eyes before floating out of the arena.

Azura shook his head, amused. He looked over at Weiss. "She wants me to kick your ass, I think."

Weiss blinked. "For telling you no to a two versus one?" She replied dryly.

"Yep." Azura said, popping the 'p'.

She just rolled her eyes in response. "You ready?"

Azura nodded, drawing his sword and dagger, and feeling a motion to do so, twirled the sword and dagger in hand.

"_That's new._" Azura commented.

"_That's my habit. I used to always play with my weapons once I got comfortable with them._" Summer explained.

Azura smirked, doing it again. He turned his attention fully to Weiss as a small buzz went off behind him, signaling the start of the match.

Weiss zipped forward with a glyph, and Azura quickly dodged off to the side, then rolled forward as he felt a burst of heat ripple directly over him. He turned on a dime, keeping Weiss in sight. Rose petals went flying, cloak flashing to life, and Azura gave chase.

He jumped right at Weiss, crashing into her with his sword. She dashed off, backflipping on the ground and stopping, crouching down, then speeding towards Azura again with another glyph. Crossing his blades, he brought Weiss's rapier up into the air, and moved to push it to the side. Weiss took the momentum and spun around to slice at Azura.

He leaned back, dodging the blade, but not the extension of the blade she had just created. Coldness ripped into him, and he felt the ice dust breathe against his chest.

More petals, and Azura distanced himself from Weiss again. He mentally noted to remember that Weiss had a lot of utility and surprises up her sleeve. He also recalled that she seemed more resistant to dust.

Azura dashed back towards Weiss, dodging her fire and lightning shots, swinging his blade forward and missing. He flipped the dagger to be pointing backwards and jabbed it to his side as he felt Weiss move around his side. He leapt up as a series of black runes came up around him.

"_Much faster this time, Weiss!_" Azura said to himself.

"_Behind, 5 o' clock!_" Summer called out.

Azura landed on the ground, practically cartwheeling to the side as he felt Summer motion him to. He twisted his blade just as Weiss's rapier sliced up along his arm, pushing it off of his aura. He brought his dagger arm up, slicing upwards and hearing it hit aura. Weiss jumped back, and he felt flames hit his leg, the flash of heat hard to ignore, but he went forward to give chase.

He threw his dagger forward, then felt energy surge into his legs. Within moments, he was in the air and Weiss blocked the thrown dagger just as Azura grabbed it and flipped with it, crashing his sword down as Weiss blocked that as well. He kept the combo going as he brought the dagger up again, feeling it hit against a glyph, he brought it back, putting one foot back and pushing his strength into bringing both blades down.

Weiss blocked it, but grunted at the show of strength. Azura pushed further and just as Weiss was about to topple over, a black glyph showed up under her feet, and he quickly dashed back as Weiss shot up into the sky.

Azura crouched down himself, shooting up towards Weiss. As he sped towards her, however, another black glyph appeared and he slammed into it. He hissed in pain, falling on the ground, and quickly getting up. Weiss came down with a glyph in her hand, and Azura quickly followed after Summer's motions, jumping as high and far away as he could.

Fire went flying in every direction, and the flames licked at his feet as he got away. Azura quickly landed, deflecting the sharp icicle that was shot his way as the flames died out. Weiss dashed in, and Azura dodged once more. He swung out of the dodge towards Weiss, hitting her blade, but quickly hissed and dropped his sword as electricity arced through it.

It was then that he realized his mistake. The girl had just electrified her rapier, and now, his sword was missing flung through the arena to the other side. He would go after it, but more and more rose petals came out as he dodged stab after stab.

Eventually, he managed to get out of her assault of pokes and stabs, grabbing onto her arm and jerking her to the side, and crouching below her retaliating slice. He threw the dagger to his right hand, stabbing at her aura.

She stepped back, dancing away from him. Her hair wildly flew around, and Azura took the moment of her getting away to also step away and grab his sword again, switching the dagger back to his left again.

Twirling both in his hands, he smirked. Weiss had crouched down, glyph at the ready, and Azura sped towards her. The girl did the same, and as they were going to meet blades, Azura quickly dragged them down and stabbed up towards Weiss, hitting her aura again.

Heat seared down his arms and along his chest.

"Damn fire dust." Azura hissed out.

He brought his sword arm back, hitting her rapier away, then hopped up as more fire hit the ground in front of him. He slammed his blades down on Weiss, and he grinned as he saw another glyph pop up below her again.

He let her shoot up, then crouched down. He breathed in, then out, and shot up after her again. As he twisted round and round, he brought his sword against him as the tip glowed. One final twist and he saw the black glyph appear. He thrusted his sword arm up, shattering the glyph as it pierced right through it. Feeling his momentum fall, Azura could do nothing but crash back down to the ground, stopping most of the momentum through Summer's semblance.

Weiss landed much more slowly, right next to him, and spoke.

"Match is over. Aura limit."

Azura sat up tiredly, looking at Weiss. He breathed in and out a few times to catch his breath, watching her do the same, then responded.

"Yeah? Who won?"

"Me, at 23%. You dipped down to 14% with that trick you pulled to break my glyph." Weiss nodded. "It was a great idea, actually. It seemed that you used too much stamina right at the end."

Azura nodded, wiping at the sweat on his forehead. "Well, that sucks." He smiles, getting up slowly. "But it was fun. Good match, Weiss."

Weiss smiled in return. "Yes, it was."

As Azura stretched and put his weapons away, Weiss spoke again.

"Did the new adjustments keep the glyphs intact when you did that big speed boost? Well...it seemed to be more of a massive speed burst, but you get my point.

Azura nodded. "Yeah. No cracking was heard. I'll check it later for you, though. Just in case."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "They seem fine, from what you tell me. You ready to go back up? Dinner should be getting served soon."

Azura nodded again. "Yeah. I'm feeling hungry after that match. You go on ahead to the locker room and shower up. I'll be right behind you, just going to talk with Luna."

Weiss nodded, then turned and left the arena room, heading back up the stairs. Azura shook his head, then turned to Luna as she came up to him.

"Well, I didn't kick her ass, as you wanted me to. Was it at least entertaining?"

She nodded, then hugged him as a silent laugh left her. Azura leaned into it, smiling. After a few moments, his scroll went off, and Luna released him so that he could grab it. Seeing the familiar number, he sighed lightly and read it.

"Meet me at The Club tonight, three hours from now. I have someone to meet you. Also, Militia is being mean."

Azura shook his head, but felt a spark of excitement creep in him.

"_Glad to actually have a reason to go back to Vale?_" Summer asked.

"Yep. Just glad to be doing something different compared to the past week." Azura replied aloud.

Azura got a move on, going up the stairs as well. He supposed that his aura would be able to charge up enough while waiting, though he doubted might fighting would go on. Unless Yang showed up.

He hoped that wouldn't happen. Weiss had tired him out with the spar, and he did not need another fight on his hands.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura walked into Junior's club, weapons hidden as per usual, and at a healthy 40% aura. Loud music was playing, the sound being less jarring than before. If that meant Azura had been here often enough, he wasn't going to complain.

Though, the last time he came here was very much different than this time. He recalled the sinking feeling in his heart as he realized just what kind of situation was unfolding in the darker side of Vale. He had been told a dozen times by Militia alone that his bleeding heart had no place in the underground part of Vale, but he couldn't just stand by now.

Sure, he had around only one reason to trust Neo, but even then, he didn't want to know that she could just die. Militia cared enough to try and keep him out of it, but again, he couldn't stand by while he knew these people were getting dragged into this. The same went for Junior and Melanie. They seemed nice, honest, even.

His thoughts went out to Aurora, the little snake Faunus she was. She reminded him of his mother, mostly because of the eccentric habits they both have. She lived in the orphanage, and he could tell that, while it wasn't in the shadiest part of Vale, it wasn't the safest area either.

Finding his reasoning to be sound, he kept pushing forward, making his way around the central dance floor to the stairs. He was about halfway there when he felt an arm pull on him, gasping in surprise, and he noticed that it was Militia. From there, he stumbled to keep up, but allowed her to drag him off.

They made it through a door to the backrooms of the club, and from there she let go and hissed at him once he was looking at her.

"You! Why do you keep doing what you are doing?!"

Azura remained calm, trying to not look uncomfortable under Militia's razor sharp gaze. "What do you mean?"

"I've warned you to stay away from Torchwick! And what do I find? I find out that his little psychopath personally called you here!" She grits her teeth. "You shouldn't even be involved here!"

Azura frowns slightly. "Militia…"

"Don't you try to pull that shit with me! You ignored everything! And now look at you! You saw a murder happen, clearly agreed to something dangerous, and from what I hear, helped her with something. Torchwick himself called you crazy, doesn't that say something?" Militia exclaimed, annoyed.

Azura sighs. It does, yes. But, look, I couldn't just stand by! Not while people could die!"

"This isn't some fucking fairytale, Azura! You aren't some hero to save us!" Militia retorted.

"I'm not trying to be!" Azura yelled back, feeling overwhelmed by his own annoyance, and by a surge of Summer's emotions, a mix of anger and bitterness.

He took a breath, calming down. "I don't want to be a hero. But if you think I won't try and keep people alive, then you're wrong. I have people I care about that could easily be harmed in the crossfire if I don't try and keep things from escalating. The White Fang is going beyond radical, Militia. I haven't been in this world for that long, but even I can tell that this is different. The world is shifting."

Militia stepped back, as if not expecting it. She shook her head, sighing. "I see. Perhaps I was wrong about you." She looked back up at him. "But this is still no place for someone like you. Do you have what it takes? Would you kill in self-defense? Would you kill to protect others? Would you kill for someone?"

Azura opened his mouth to respond, then lowered his gaze. He frowned, thinking about the questions. He looked back up, and he felt like it wasn't just him responding.

"Only one way to find out what I can do."

Militia frowned, then sighed. "Just no tough guy act, you hear? You have trouble, don't do it. You struggle to get through something that you see...something you do...come here. I...Melanie and I, as well as Junior, have seen our fair share of dirty and bad things. I don't want you to end up like us. Or worse, like her."

"Like her?" Azura frowned. "Like who?"

Militia shakes her head. "No one in particular. Don't worry about it."

Azura sighed. "Got it. Can...I go now?"

Militia grabs his arm tightly. " Be safe, Azura. Don't be afraid to come here for help. Or hell, to even drop it, and stay at Beacon."

Azura nods. "I promise. I'll keep everything you told me in mind."

She let's go. "Good."

Azura smiles at Militia. "Cheer up, will you? I'll stay safe. I do have a trained huntress in my head, and another right next to me."

Militia smirked. "Always believing in the dead, Azura. You're a weird kid."

Azura chuckled. "That's me." He turned away, walking off. "Thanks for caring, Militia."

Militia snorted in amusement, striding in front of him. "Please. Someone has to keep an eye on the newbie."

Azura rolled his eyes, making it back out to the main floor of the club, and splitting off from Militia to get up to the second floor. Once more, the music started to fade out and silence started to fill back in, and Azura finally arrived to the quiet place he was becoming familiar with.

What he was not familiar with, however, was the man standing before him.

"Torchwick." Azura said simply.

"Heya, kid." The man replied, smoking his cigar. "I bet you weren't expecting me, were ya?"

Azura glanced at Neo for a moment, before looking back at the bowler hat man. "I expected a certain someone to have a guest, but I figured…"

"That it wouldn't be me." Torchwick chuckled, taking the cigar out of his mouth. "Well, it is. In fact, I was the one to set this all up, not dear little Neo here. That's right, master thief Roman Torchwick himself."

Azura stayed where he was, staying silent. Torchwick chuckled, waving his cigar hand around.

"Come on, I won't bite. Otherwise that Malachite twin will flay me alive. No, I set this up to meet the person that Neo's been hiding from me." He waved his hand to a chair opposite of him. "Call it a curiosity."

Azura stepped forward, glancing once at Luna taking a position behind Torchwick, then takes the seat. Torchwick waves the cigar lazily, then looks at Neo. "I understand you want to be here, Neo, but this'll be a discussion between me and the kid."

Neo frowns, standing her ground for a moment, then shakes her head. She walks off, down the stairs, but still visible when Azura turned his head to look. She was staring out at the crowd, hand on her tilted head as she looked out at the crowd below, bored.

"Eyes on the prize, kid. I'm the one talking to you."

Azura turned back to look at Torchwick again, speaking plainly. "Sorry. You said you set this up?"

Torchwick rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did. You and I have a few things to talk about." He leaned forward. "For starters...you don't belong in this kind of lifestyle. You could just as easily hide away in that little academy of yours, be a Hunter. And yet, here you are."

Azura frowned. "Everyone who knows about this says that. Why?"

Torchwick chuckled. "Simple, kid. You're too earnest, too honest. In other terms, you're too trusting."

"Well, I don't trust you." Azura replied.

Torchwick grinned. "But you do have a fire in ya. I can respect that." He took some time to lean back, smoking his cigar. "But who else don't you trust?"

Azura bit his lip, thinking of the question. "Neo. The Malachites. I guess Junior as well. And well, I haven't met many people outside of that, but I bet I shouldn't trust them either."

Torchwick taps his bowler hat. "If you didn't trust any of them, then why do you keep coming to this specific place? Cause Junior says he stays neutral? As for the Malachites, they're like me. They like you, but I doubt it goes much further. They either find you amusing, or from what I see with the...uh...Militia. That one. She's likely the most trustworthy out of all of us. She's used to this life, but she can't sit on the side if a 'new blood' comes in."

Azura glanced at Torchwick's coat, but quickly looked back up. "And Neo?"

Torchwick taps his free hand on the table, looking at Azura in amusement. "You say you don't trust her. And yet, you've come to her beck and call each and every time. You think I don't keep an eye on what Neo is doing?" He chuckles. "Still, what an odd thing to see. What you say and what you do are showing two different things."

Azura sat up fully as he replied. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Torchwick grins. "Well, it means that you are either a liar, or you can't actually help yourself from doing it. If I had to guess, I would say that you want to help her. Which means you can't help yourself."

"Is that so wrong?" Azura asked, frowning.

Torchwick shrugged. "Well, yes. Logically, it is. Neo is a fully capable of taking care of herself, I took care of that. Realistically, still wrong. You're a fool to want to help her." He shrugged again. "If you want my personal opinion, I think she was right for trying to get you to help. But she doesn't just want your help."

Azura was taken aback by the words. He had figured that to be the case, that Neo had some ulterior motive, but to see Torchwick say it so blatantly was disconcerting.

"Are you...warning me?" Azura asked, slight paranoia guiding his words.

"That's correct, kid. See, you remind me of someone way back in the day." He leaned forward. "Someone who was impressionable and not able to make way for themselves. Neo could easily take advantage of that."

Azura blinked a few times, trying to process the info.

"I'm not here to help ya, kid. But I won't just let ya drown out here. Consider it a professional courtesy." Torchwick continued.

"Right. What does this mean, then? You won't personally assist me, but you'll steer trouble away?"

Torchwick nodded, and an air of seriousness could be seen. "Exactly like that, kid. You don't want to get involved with what the adults are doing. You're way too young for what we're up to."

"You look hardly over twenty five." Azura said without thinking.

Torchwick shook his head, amused. "And that's exactly what I mean. Too naive and thoughtless. Kid, I may look young, but I'm thirty one. Neo's not quite the old bastard I am, but she's likely at least five years older than you. Small size might make her seem younger than that, but I can guarantee that she's older than you for sure. She doesn't know her age either, or just never told me."

Torchwick leans back. "Think about that, kid. She's been my partner in crime here in Vale for so very long, and I still don't know her history. That's how untrustworthy this criminal underworld business is. Especially nowadays. Things are getting crazy."

Azura stayed silent, and Torchwick got up. He moved over to Azura and patted his shoulder. "Think this over, kid. One of these days, you could end up forced into this life, if you keep this up. But I'm not your parent, I'll let you make your choice."

Torchwick walked off, and Azura sighed heavily. Luna moved to stand by his side, keeping an eye on the stairs to defend him like a bodyguard.

He appreciated the defense. Summer's silence was something he was also grateful

For. He needed some time to think, away from Summer, away from Beacon.

Though, Azura felt like he knew what he would end up deciding.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And that's a wrap. Just as Ironwood had a full and formal introduction to Azura, so does Torchwick. Not much to say here, other than what I always say.**

**Have a nice day/evening! **


	25. Vytal Rumblings

**Lots of talking and small jumps this chapter, but they are important enough to highlight in any case. It was a fun chapter to put together, but I think next chapter will be more enjoyable to get together.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 25: Vytal Rumblings**

**.**

**.(Chapter start)**

**.**

**August 20th**

**Tuesday**

**Clear**

"_You're sure about this?_" Summer asked.

Azura was looking out the window of the library, alone. "_Yeah, I'm sure. I've been sure for a few days, but I've been taking my time to think it over._"

Luna was off in the distance, floating aimlessly. Every so often, however, he could feel her gaze stray over to him.

Summer sighs. "_I know you have been, I just worry for you. And I appreciate that you've been sitting on it seriously._"

Azura tapped his fingers along the table, watching students walk by for a few moments. "_I am taking it seriously, yeah. I'll kind of be leading a double life, in a way. You know, I thought you would be more resistant to me doing it. I thought you would try and sway me away from that kind of decision._"

"_If I was younger, I would have. As much as I was seen as a completely innocent Huntress, I was not the kindest to those who committed crimes. I saw everything as black and white, with no inbetween at all. Which might seem weird, since I was so willing to help Qrow and...Raven...when we were on a team. But, I don't know…_" Summer trails off, lost in thought.

"_Summer?_" Azura asked.

"_Oh, right._" Summer said, coming back from her thoughts. "_But yeah, I would personally drag you away from this decision if I was younger. I would believe you were being dragged into something unwillingly._"

"_What changed that, then?_"

It took a moment before Summer responded. "_Death._" Azura couldn't see Summer physically, but he felt the dark and melancholic feelings within her. "_Things tend to seem different given time away from living._"

"_So you think I'm...right to choose this?_" Azura asked, trying to get Summer to not linger on those thoughts.

"_It's not about if I think you are right or wrong, Azura. Even if I wasn't tied to you, I would follow you out there. As much as I would like to keep my eyes on Ruby, I wouldn't be able to do anything. Your semblance...you as a person, Azura. It gives me a purpose again. You've given me a chance where I thought I would never have one again._"

Azura was touched by the words. "_Summer...I can't even really say anything in response to that._"

Summer responded quietly, her voice seeming to hold several emotions. "_I know, Azura._" More lightheartedly, she chuckled. "_We are bonded all the way down to the soul, you know._"

Azura smiled. "_Right. I forget about that sometimes._"

"_Of course you do, Azura. You're a bit dumb like that._"

"_Hey!_"

Summer was about to respond when they felt someone come up to them and sit opposite of them. Azura looked up, seeing Blake. She had a black book in front of her, closed, and her amber eyes were dull. She had bags under her eyes, and she seemed tired.

"You feeling good there, Blake?" Azura asked.

"Never better." Blake responded blandly.

Azura frowned, moving on with the conversation. "What are you doing right now?"

"Searching. Investigating Torchwick further." She responded again, equally as blandly.

Azura nodded slowly. "Anything specifically? Or are you going for a more 'in-general' investigation into him?"

"I'm taking what Weiss found and combined that with his history in the dust robberies. Trying to find a starting point to all of this before anything." Blake said, a bit of energy in her while talking about the topic.

"_She's...a little intent on doing this, isn't she? She's clearly skipping out on sleep, if those bags under her eyes mean anything._" Summer commented.

Azura nods again. "What brought this on, anyway?"

"A lack of action. I don't see anyone else using the info right now." Blake said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "At least you're out there, doing something."

"_Not for investigating, but let's just brush that off for now._" Summer said.

"I suppose. But must you be so…" Azura said, trying to find the words.

"What?" Blake asked, narrowing her eyes.

Azura sighs, just saying it. "You seem annoyed by your team. For nothing that bad, from what I see. You and Weiss haven't been fighting, and I mean, you get along with Ruby and Yang well enough."

Blake rolled her eyes. "And? Being on good terms doesn't excuse how they aren't even doing anything to keep this investigation going."

Azura tilted his head. "Blake, we're all busy, even you. Even if we don't have classes until later this month, we're all training and doing work over the break. Lots of stuff going on, even without an investigation."

Blake bit her lip in annoyance. "Being busy doesn't mean free time can't exist. There's this thing called less sleep. More time to do things."

A frown makes way onto Azura's face. "Blake, you shouldn't do that. It's important that we get sleep. We're becoming Huntsmen...and training with less sleep in a day could be dangerous if it continues."

Blake sighs. "They won't stop just because we sleep. We need all the time we can get to make sure we can stop them. We have to sacrifice things to get what we want, Azura."

He shakes his head in response. "Blake, come on. You can't be doing this to yourself. Your health is more important than some investigation."

"Some?! This is life or death!" Blake hissed, getting up. "I thought you would understand that."

She picks the book back up, stalking off. Azura watches her go, wondering what he had said wrong.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 23rd**

**Friday**

**Cloudy**

Azura sighed as he made his way to Beacon tower, where Ozpin's office was placed. Something about the day had felt off to him, and he supposed this is what it was.

"_No need to be so paranoid about it, Azura. I may agree that he is doing some underhanded things, but he's been strictly professional in regards to you._" Summer said.

"_I know. But what Weiss said to me is making me think. I mean, I know it's sort of because of you and my semblance, but she was right. It's odd for the headmaster to purely single me out so often, isn't it?_" He replied.

"_From her point of view, it would be, yes. It just means that he's interested in you, and that's what we should focus on._"

Azura nodded. "_Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still, it's something to think about. What do you think he even wants me there for?_"

They entered the tower as Summe responded. "_I don't know. We'll find out soon enough, either way._"

"_True._"

They approached the elevator, and met no resistance, so he was clearly expected. He entered the elevator, and leaned against the wall. For once, there was no music playing in it. It made him grateful, for some reason.

He wasn't sure why, but he was starting to enjoy silence more than he did as a kid. Even more so than when he first joined Beacon. It reminded him of a simpler time, back at home.

A ding was heard, disturbing the silence, and Ozpin's office was opened up to Azura. He stepped inside, taking notice of Jaune and Pyra also being in it.

"Hey." Jaune said simply, waving his hand lazily at Azura.

Pyra smiled at Azura, with the boy himself walking forward as Ozpin nodded his way.

"Hello, you two." He nodded to Ozpin in return. "Headmaster."

Ozpin smiled as he sat behind his desk. "Still using such rigid names. But that is not what I called you three here for."

Azura made to stand between Jaune and Pyra. He looked at the two of them, before asking Ozpin what was on his mind.

"Why were we called here?"

Ozpin drank from his coffee mug, then spoke. "This is in regards to the Vytal festival, but more about the Vytal tournament that will occur soon after the festival begins." He waved a hand over at Jaune. "Your leader has already been briefed by me, but he asked for you two to be here shortly after getting the information. I apologize if my request for you to come was bad timing." 

"Not at all, Headmaster. I was not doing much beyond reading." Pyra responded.

Azura nods. "I was simply on my way to talk to Ren. It wasn't major or anything."

"Good to hear, then. I shall explain what you two are here for." He coughed, clearing his throat. "As per the tournament rules, you are allowed to be tested for placement on the tournament, allowing your team to participate. However, considering how the rules function, I regret to tell you that neither Pyra or you, Azura, will be able to take part."

Pyra blinked, tilting her head. "Is it because we are not officially recognized as members of team Juniper?"

"That is correct, Miss Sol. Think of it like when I told you and your partner that you can be a part of the team, but that you could not always participate in team fights and other such activities." Ozpin sipped at the mug, pausing. "We may be hosting the Vytal tournament this year, but we must follow the rules of Vytal."

Azura looked over at Luna, who shrugged. As he looked at Ozpin again, Summer spoke.

"_He's telling you that his hands are tied. Vytal is a specific event to celebrate the unity of the kingdoms of Remnant, and the rules made back then were agreed to by all kingdoms._"

Azura nodded to Ozpin. "That makes sense, sir. I don't mind it too much."

Pyra smiled. "Neither do I."

Ozpin nods at Pyra. "That is good." He then shifts his eyes back to them as a whole. "Miss Sol and MIster Arc are free to live, assuming that they have no other questions."

Azura could feel both Jaune's and Pyra's blue eyes on him, though he remained silent. Jaune nodded, moving towards the elevator doors.

"You ready to go, Pyra? We can wait for Azura at the base of the tower, if you want."

Pyra nodded slowly, leaving a lingering hand on Azura's arm. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but quickly joined Jaune to the elevator. Once they left, Ozpin spoke up, breaking the silence.

"How are you feeling, Azura? I know it might not seem this way, but a lot has happened to you in just a few short months."

Azura shrugged. "I'll admit, it never crossed my mind. I've kind of just been going day by day." He looked over to Luna again for a moment, then spoke again. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you ask?"

Ozpin gave a small smile. "Nothing major. I was simply wondering how things have been going with you. Do you feel any different...since the incident at the docks?"

Azura wasn't sure what Ozpin was doing, but it felt like two things at once. He was probing Azura for one reason or another, and was probably going to tell him something.

"Not as far as I know. I mean, it can feel different to, you know, have a woman in my head and soul, but me and Summer have adjusted."

Ozpin nodded. "I see. That is good to hear, then."

Azura frowned slightly. "Not to be nosy, but you seem...to want to tell me something, Headmaster."

Ozpin didn't answer for a few moments, but then he gave a small sigh. "It is nothing, Mister Heart. You are free to leave."

Azura nodded, quickly moving to take his leave, but just as the elevator doors open, Ozpin speaks again.

"I will call you here if I find anything in regards to what I am helping you with, Mister Heart. For now, enjoy your time before school starts back up."

Azura nods at the man's gaze, then steps into the elevator, letting the doors close behind him.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 26th**

**Monday**

**Cloudy**

"New students are coming in later today. Exciting, is it not?"

Pyrrha had been the one to pop the question to everyone else. They were seated all around a small table in the JNPR dorm, talking to one another. Nora and Ren next to each other on one side, Jaune and Pyrrha next to each other, with Azura and Pyra on their own side. Nora was practically on top of Ren, right next to his side, while Pyrrha was awkwardly next to Jaune, too close for her to not have a hint of red on her face.

Azura glanced down, a sleeping Pyra slumped against his side. The girl had come back later than usual, so he supposed he couldn't blame her for falling asleep.

Azura smiled as Jaune responded first, looking back up at him.

"I'm kind of wondering what students will come from where."

Ren nodded. "The cultural differences will be unique. We should not waste this chance to get to know and connect with other people from the academies."

Nora giggled. "Come on, silly. You don't need to say 'let's make friends' so dramatically!"

Azura chuckled with everyone, and Jaune responded to Ren.

"You have a point, though. I think it would be fun to see what academy students from other kingdoms think of Beacon and stuff."

"The Vytal festival was made for that sort of interactions. It is quite fascinating to see how wonderful it has been for Remnant." Pyrrha stated, her green eyes bright and her smile large.

Sometimes, Azura loved being the one to not talk much. It gave him time to watch these moments and fully take them in. Clearly, Pyrrha disagreed.

"What about you, Azura? I know of how you were raised away from the kingdoms and a good amount of technology, so this must be very exciting for you."

Azura smiled. "Yeah, it's exciting. Not quite sure what to think about it either, yet. I've decided to just play the game of wait and see."

Jaune laughed lightly. "Not a bad idea. I'm kind of doing the same thing."

"You two are so boring!" Nora said, dragging out the final word. "Why wait and see when you can just be thrown into the fray?"

"Not everyone has your enthusiasm for throwing your body at people, Nora." Ren said simply.

Nora fell back, sighing. "You're all boring…" She whined.

Pyrrha smiled. "Oh, Nora. If only we all had your energy."

Jaune mocked horror. "Not another Nora!"

Nora sat up again, sticking her tongue out at Jaune. "You love me, don't deny it! I'm not queen of the castle for no reason."

Jaune rolled his eyes, leaning back on his arms.

"Yes, Nora. It's done out of love. We don't keep eating pancakes for no reason, you know." Azura said simply, chuckling.

"Azura means that we're running out of pancake batter, so he's trying to be nice." Ren said. "Speaking of...I should get more soon."

Pyrrha nodded. "True. But you should do that soon, aren't classes starting up again soon?"

Jaune almost fell back. "Wait, what?!"

Pyrrha gave Jaune a look that showed endearment and a soft pity. "Oh, Jaune…"

"Don't give me your 'oh, Jaune'!" Jaune whined. "I forgot that classes were starting up again soon!"

Pyra shifted from the noise, and Azura adjusted his arm. "When do they start again, Pyrrha?"

"I believe it is on the first of September. Giving the students from other academies some time to adjust to Beacon before starting again. Though, the Vytal placement tests are coming up tomorrow. And just after that is the dance, I think."

Azura nodded, ignoring the idea of a dance for now. "You're right. What are you guys thinking on doing? There's a few placements, right?"

Pyrrha looked at Jaune, Ren, and Nora for a moment before responding. "Well, we know that we are going to sign up to go as a team. The only placements right now are the team ones, but I think the singles placements is also up for grabs."

"That's cool. You going to steal another tournament victory, Pyrrha?" Azura joked.

Jaune laughed. "If she does, it'll hopefully be us as a team."

Pyrrha smirked, elbowing Jaune. "That means even more training."

Jaune finally fell back. "Have mercy on me…"

Azura smiled at the interactions, though it was quickly turned back on him when Pyrrha turned to him.

"I am glad to know that you and Pyra took the news so well. I felt bad that you were barred from being able to participate."

Azura shook his head. "It's no big deal." He looks down at Pyra. "I don't know about her, but I really don't mind. I kind of expected it, to be honest."

Pyrrha smiled. "And it's also nice to see you and Pyra being so close. I understand that you are both busy with things, but it's good to know that you guys are so...friendly with each other."

Azura chuckled. "To be fair, neither me or Pyra are the most talkative. But I have her back if she needs it. Just as she has mine."

He looked back up at everyone, and he could see Jaune and Pyrrha smiling at each other, as well as Nora widely smiling at the barely smirking Ren.

Jaune spoke up next, looking at everyone around the table. "Just like we are all here for each other. As a team."

Azura could get behind that thinking.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

It was just after dinner, several hours since the talk in the JNPR dorm. Pyra had been left to sleep in, with Jaune and Pyrrha going off to train just after they ate. Seeing that Ren and Nora had vanished, presumably into Vale, Azura found himself with team RWBY again.

He was walking along the grounds with them, looking at all of the new students walking around. Seeing the groups of four wasn't shocking, since it was easy to assume that they were keeping together for now.

"So many new people with these amazing weapons!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.

Weiss sighed. "Yang, your sister is being a weapon nut again. I think she'll explode at this rate."

Blake made no comment, simply reading from her book tiredly. Azura took notice of a distracted Yang, who was looking at Blake with a hint of worry. Though, it quickly vanished as she turned to Weiss.

"Nah, Rubes will be fine. Unless she starts drooling, then someone would need to step in."

Weiss blinked, a look of disgust and surprise on her face. "Has...has she done that before?"

"Yep." Yang said.

"_Absolutely._" Summer said just after Yang.

Weiss shook her head. "Don't want to know. Never mention that fact to me again. And don't go drooling, you dolt!"

Ruby quickly turned and sped right next to Weiss. "But, Weiss! Think about how amazing those weapons are! What do you think they can do? What about why they look the way they do? What if they have some super awesome name for their weapon?!"

Weiss pushed Ruby away gently. "I don't think I should encourage such behavior."

"You put some time into making your weapon, and you don't even care." Ruby said, clutching her chest dramatically.

Yang crossed her arms behind her head as they walked. "I don't think Weiss is as uh…"

"Obsessed." Azura provided.

"Crazed." Weiss said, glancing at Azura.

"Yeah...Weiss isn't like you, Ruby." Yang said.

Ruby hung her head in a similar dramatic fashion. "Betrayed by my own sister...oh, the cruel irony!"

Yang laughed. "You'll be fine, Rubes. You drink milk, remember?"

Ruby smiled, giggling. Yang smiled in return, then moved over to talk to Blake quietly about one thing or another.

Weiss rolled her eyes, stepping back to walk with Azura as Ruby and Yang kept their banter going.

"Well, how about you? You were working pretty closely together with Ruby while making your new weapon, and even upgrading your sword, right?"

Azura nodded, looking at Weiss from the side. "Yeah, I did."

"Was she this crazy about it?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. She was rather excited about the whole thing."

"Including the names?"

"Yep." He said, as if repeating Yang.

Weiss smiled slightly after a few moments. "That's Ruby for you."

Azura smiled in return. Though as he went to respond, he heard a thud and looked to see Ruby on the ground.

He moved forward, noticing, but not acknowledging, the three people she had run into yet. Bending down, he grabbed Ruby's arm and helped her up. She was quick to look at the person in the center, speaking.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going…"

"It is not a problem. I'm sure you are not used to so many students being here after so long." A silky voice responded.

Azura himself looked at the three, studying them. The one that spoke had a flaming orange-yellow color for eyes, pale skin, and long and clearly cared for hair. Beyond that, she had a red dress that had gold trimmed designs along the arms and edges, as well as a black choker around her neck. No weapon in sight either.

"That's true, yes." Azura said. "But, who are you? My name is Azura."

Her sunset colored eyes turned to him, and a small smirk appeared on her face. "I am Cinder Fall. How very nice to meet you."

Her eyes were entrancing, Azura admitted to himself. Such a unique color that seemed to blaze brilliantly. He smiled back, not wanting to stare.

He looked over at the dark skinned girl behind her, her dark red eyes acutely looking at him. Her mint green hair was made into several bangs, with a more olive green crop top to match. A white top was wrapped around her crop top and went up to twist around her neck. On her arms were some golden beads, and light green gloves that slid over her middle fingers and palms. She also had a brown belt, with leather legs that went over white pants, and two weapons were clear to see hanging on the back of her belt.

She placed a hand on her waist. "Emerald Sustrai."

Azura waved at her, and turned to the last person.

A quick scan showed that he had silver hair that was mostly slicked back, but almost lazily left alone upfront. His eyes were more of a grey, with a dark, two-toned, grey and black jacket that he left partially open. Black pants and shoes covered his legs, and a sash was seen on his hip. He had metal vambraces and rerebraces on his arms.

He waved lazily at Azura. "Mercury Black. How are ya?"

Azura wasn't given a chance to speak, and Ruby was now slightly behind him, watching with a slight nervousness.

"Well, it has been good to meet you, Azura." Cinder said calmly, looking down at Ruby. "And I must say, your eyes are simply a sight to behold. Silver...quite rare, since I have not ever seen a person with silver eyes."

She moved a bit closer to Azura, lightly putting her fingers on his cheek. They were soft, but Azura still felt rather uncomfortable with the proximity. Her eyes stared up into his.

"And you have just one, with a yellow eye in tow. Very unique, to meet a person with different colored eyes. Silver is such a pretty color, I must say."

She pulled away. "Now, us three must leave. I do hope to meet you two again."

They walked off, and Azura looked over at Yang, then over at Weiss. A glance at Blake showed that even she had looked up to see what was happening.

"That was...weird, right?" Azura asked.

"You're telling me." Yang said, chuckling.

"What an odd girl." Weiss commented.

Ruby shuffled on her feet. "Felt weird."

Azura shrugged, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Well, it was nothing to worry about. Perhaps she's just awkward, like you."

"Hey!" Ruby said.

Azura rolled his eyes. "Might as well go to the library?" He suggested, once he saw everyone looking at him.

"Sounds good." Yang said, waving to him. "Lead the way."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

A simple night stroll had sounded great to Azura. Summer had been quiet all day, so he decided he would walk around campus just to stretch his legs and take in the sights once more. The Beacon grounds were always beautiful, so he didn't mind the fact that the sights weren't exactly new.

But he did not expect to see someone at the cliffside that was becoming common in his life. Not many people came to this little side of the campus.

Especially not a newcomer.

"Hello, Azura. Good to see you again." Cinder said, keeping her back turned to him.

Her smooth back was turned to him, and he could not help but admire the girl's natural beauty. A black tattoo was also clearly seen, shaped like a horseshoe, but more jagged and sharp.

"You too, Cinder." Azura said, coming closer. "What brings you to this part of Beacon?"

She played with her fingers with one hand, as if distracted already. "Just a little...exploration, is all."

Azura looked out at the view of Vale, the bright lights of the city drawing a smile on his face. "Beautiful sight, isn't it?"

"Yes. It makes one think about what they are doing." Cinder replied, her voice calm and with a slightly inquisitive tone.

A Huntsman was made to protect these things. The people. The cities. The kingdoms themselves. As Azura thought of how important it was to keep those things alive, he responded.

"It really does." He turns his head to look at Cinder. "What do you think of Beacon so far?"

Cinder glanced at him. "It is quite the grand academy. Reminds me of Haven."

Azura nodded slowly. "Haven academy? You're from Mistral, then?"

"Correct. My team came from there." She responded.

"Does Mistral not have teams of four, then? I recall that you only had two others with you."

Cinder slowly shakes her head, seeming amused. "No, we do have a fourth team member, but she is simply not here yet. She was given a special leave for a...I believe it was a family issue."

Azura shrugged. "Fair enough. Will they be joining your team again soon? It would be a shame for them to miss out on the festival."

His words drew a chuckle from Cinder. "Yes, she will likely be here in time for the festival to officially begin. Perhaps to even join the tournament."

"That's cool, I suppose. I can help to keep an eye out for your teammate when the time comes, if you need it." Azura replied.

"Thank you, Azura. You are a kind person, much kinder than you initially seemed. I think she'll be easy to spot for you."

Azura frowned in confusion. "Uh...why's that?"

"Call it intuition. You have sharp eyes, if your gaze means anything." Cinder explains. "Either way, she'll be easy to spot. Ebony black hair, eyes as green as you'll ever see. She's rather short as well, but you'll see her."

Azura nodded, mentally noting the traits. "Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for you. Give you an extra pair of eyes."

Cinder actually turned to him now, moving to be close to him. She smirked, looking up at him. "Thank you for your help in the coming days, Azura. I'm sure I will enjoy getting to know you while I am here."

Azura blinked, watching her. "Yeah, sure. That's the purpose of the Vytal festival, I suppose."

Cinder gave a quiet laugh, moving past him. "Of course. I shall see you at a later point then, Azura. It was good to meet you again."

Azura smiled, waving her off. "See you later, Cinder."

She left, and Azura shook his head, turning back to look at Vale.

"_Already meeting new people. Though, that Cinder girl is a bit...odd._"

Summer laughed. "_You aren't wrong. She seems kind of wrapped up in her own mind. Though, that comment on the silver eyes was weird._"

"_Good weird or bad weird?_" Azura asked.

"_Probably nothing. She might just have a thing for silver eyes._" Summer said, a little quickly.

"_Doubtful, but okay. You sure I shouldn't read romance novels for you?_"

"_Funny, Azura._" Summer said dryly.

Azura laughed, slinging his legs over the cliffside and sitting down. "_You know, I like this cliffside. Makes me oddly nostalgic._"

Summer hummed in agreement. "_You might just be feeling that way from how I feel about it. This cliffside has...a lot of memories._"

"_Your team?_"

Summer sighed gently. "_Sort of. But, also Qrow. He and I spent a good amount of time here, when he needed it._"

Azura remained silent, simply letting Summer speak as much as she wanted to.

"_Qrow was a troubled man. He's still a troubled man, even more so after my death. But he came from a tribe of bandits. He never talked about them, unless Raven brought them up. He had all these ideas of how to be a good partner to me, so much so that he couldn't possibly have lived up to them. I remember the first time we came here, just the two of us._" Summer chuckled, her tone sad and nostalgic. "_He was annoyed with himself over his lack of control with his weapon. He used to fight so brutally and without care, which can be bad for any teamwork. So I promised him that I would teach him that control. He still uses that damn scythe-sword combo, that bastard._"

Azura smiled at the words. "_Sounds like an interesting guy._"

"_He is._" Summer agreed. "_Though, I don't know how he'd react...to knowing about this. Our situation, that is. From what I know, Tai was never told about this situation. So it's safe to assume that Qrow doesn't either._"

Azura dropped the smile. "_Should we worry about that?_"

It took a few long moments before Summer finally responded. "_Let's save that for a later point._"

Azura knew when to not argue with Summer. He decided to simply keep sitting there, looking at the bright lights of Vale.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 27th**

**Tuesday**

**Clear**

Azura watched team CRDL shuffle quietly off of the arena, with Pyrrha standing there with a smile on her face. There was something satisfying about how Pyrrha had singlehandedly taken on team CRDL and won.

"An excellent display, Miss Nikos. Now, why don't we have one more match for you. Let's see…" Goodwitch said, looking out at the crowd. "Would anyone like to go against Miss Nikos?"

A few seconds of silence hung in the air, and Pyrrha's smile dimmed. Though, a hand quickly went up as someone spoke.

"I'll fight her."

Azura turned to see Mercury sitting there, a bored look on his face. Weiss whispered to Azura as silence quickly turned to murmurs.

"The guy's got a death wish, it seems."

Azura shrugged in response to Weiss as Goodwitch spoke.

"Of course. Come on down…" She paused, looking at something on her scroll. "Mister Black."

As he did that, Azura leaned over and whispered back to Weiss. "I think he'll have some tricks of his own. But Pyrrha hasn't even struggled too much in her fights, other than against you, Yang, and in some team fights."

Weiss nodded. "Correct. I think it'll be a sweep for her."

Yang, who had been behind them, leaned forward. "Yeah, but look at his stance right now."

A look over at Mercury showed him hopping on his feet before stancing up and loosely crouching. He sat on front side of his feet, his arms up like a brawler.

"He's totally composed and his stance suggests fighting with his feet. Honestly, he seems rather practiced and trained for fighting." Yang continued.

Azura nodded, taking in Yang's words. A moment later, Goodwitch made the call for the start of the match, and Mercury shot off towards Pyrrha.

The sounds of gunshots was suprising, and the heavy clang of Mercury's foot crashing into Pyrrha's shield was heard. The engagement that occurred was rapid, and Pyrrha was jabbing in and out at Mercury while the boy backflipped and dodged to and fro like he personally knew how to dodge stabs from weapons in particular.

He quickly re-engaged, and Pyrrha lifted her hand up, Azura barely seeing the shift in Mercury's kick to carry more momentum that normal. Though, the boy was quick to recover, landing on the overspun foot to attack with the other leg, and another clang went out on her shield.

"He can't seem to land an actual hit on her. Is she...using her semblance?" Weiss asked herself quietly.

"Seems like it." Yang said. "Though he's got great balance, almost as good as Blake does."

Azura glanced up at Yang. "And his leg attacks have a good amount of strength behind them. Makes me think of your punches."

Yang laughed. "So that's what it looks like to others."

Another loud clang and several gunshots were heard, and Azura snapped his head back to the fight, seeing Mercury launch himself away from Pyrrha off of her shield. He crouched down, sighing, and threw a hand up.

"I surrender."

As Goodwitch called the match, Azura raised an eyebrow.

"That was...short." Weiss said.

Yang shrugged. "That's Pyrrha for you."

Azura watched Mercury walk off, a smile on his face.

He wasn't sure how to feel about someone who smiled from losing.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Nothing to say here, soooo…**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	26. Together

**Hoo boy, I was a bit busier with other things the past few days, which is why this chapter took longer than I needed to get set up. A bit of a shame, but oh well.**

**Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 26: Together**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**August 29th**

**Thursday**

**Cloudy**

Azura was partially leaning off of Weiss' bed, staring at the paper in front of him. It had an endless stream of words all about dust, and he could swear that the words were starting to spiral. She had convinced him to study with Ruby in her place, saying that she had training to do and couldn't, quote, "babysit" Ruby. He wasn't exactly sure why Ruby had to study in the first place, and he wasn't able to even ask Weiss once he agreed to do it.

He put the paper down, sighing lightly, and looked up at the ceiling from where he was hanging. A few moments later, and another sigh was heard, this one more frustrated than his bored one. Ruby's head popped up over the edge, and she hung her arms over the edge.

"I'm so bored…" Ruby whined, drawing out the words.

Azura nodded his head slowly. Luna was lazily floating outside of the open window of the RWBY dorm, and Summer wasn't even talking, so he figured that she had tuned out in his mind at this point.

"I'm sure you are, Ruby. But you apparently need to know this stuff before classes start up again."

She groaned, somehow becoming more limp. "But why should I while summer break is going…? And the Vytal festival is gonna start soon as well."

Azura looks up at Ruby while she looks down at him. "True." He responded slowly, watching her closely.

"So why do I have to do this now? I should be outside...doing stuff." Ruby said.

Azura raised an eyebrow, and he felt Summer come to the surface of his mind, paying attention again. "Such as?"

She smirked, as if she had planned this out. "Such as visiting a cute snake."

Azura smiled back, taking the bait without thinking. "Aurora? It _has _been a while since we last visited."

"So we should go visit her! Maybe do something with her, give her a day to remember." Ruby continued.

Azura bit his lip, trying to resist the idea and Ruby's wide silver eyes. "I don't know, Ruby. Weiss won't be gone for too long, you know."

"Then let's just avoid her for the day! She won't stay mad, I promise." Ruby said, trying to persuade him.

Azura sighed. "It's Weiss, Ruby. She'll think of something."

"Please?" Ruby asked, frowning.

Azura stared up at her for a few seconds before giving in.

"Okay, okay." He said, rolling on the bed and getting off of it. "Let's get ourselves put together and get going. The next airship is leaving in a few minutes."

He winced at the sound of excitement, and then let out a healthy 'oomph' once Ruby slid into him with a hug, before speeding off with rose petals around. He watched her snatch up her scroll, then quickly fit into her red cloak, sheathing the locked Crescent Rose on her back, and then pop up in front of him.

"Ready!" She said.

Azura looked around at the scattered rose petals as they quickly started to wilt and vanish, then smiled.

"It's getting easier to see you do stuff with the extra speed."

Ruby laughed. "That's awesome! Now come on! Come on! Let's go!"

She grabbed his wrist, dragging him out of the team RWBY dorm, and quickly letting go.

"I'll race you to the airships!" Ruby said, a competitive gleam in her eyes.

"Then let's go!" Azura said, running backwards as he smirked at her.

She shot off in a flurry petals, and Azura laughed alongside Summer as he turned and sped off, Summer's two toned petals quickly joining Ruby's. Corner after corner, and Azura was quickly out of the building, able to see Ruby still ahead of him. He shot off again, barely even starting to catch up to her, and a flare of competition rolled through him.

"_Let's jump!_" He called to Summer mentally.

Azura heard Summer chuckle, and the still new feeling of built up speed in his legs came to him. He crouched down, then leapt forward with his momentum, letting out a yell of excitement as he did so. He landed on his outstretched legs, flying forward on the ground and surpassing Ruby.

The airship pads were quickly coming up, and a quick glance showed his decent sized lead was not going to last as long as he would need. An announcement could be heard that the airship would be taking off soon, and Azura moved to pick up the speed.

"_Closer than it seems!_" Summer said with a spark of joy in her voice.

Ruby was just behind him to his left, and he could hear her feet hitting the ground as they ran. He zipped right through the entrance to the airship as the door started to close, and quickly stumbled to a halt. Though, not a second later, he fell down to the ground as Ruby barreled into him.

He sat up, groaning lightly, and looked over to see Ruby next to him, also sitting up and looking surprised. He laughed, shaking his head at her expression, and got up. He then stretched his hand out in front of her, pulling her up when she took it.

"I win." Azura said, grinning.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at him. "That's cause you cheated!"

"I did not cheat, thank you very much. I simply used an extension of Summer's semblance." Azura defended himself.

"Hmph." Ruby responded, pouting.

She started laughing, and Azura joined her after a moment. Once they stopped, Azura spoke again.

"It was rather close though, to be fair. The airship was just about to leave."

"Then...it was worth racing?"

"Yep."

Ruby grinned. "That was just my genius, then!"

Azura sighed, facepalming. "Sure, let's go with that. It wasn't your competitiveness at all."

Ruby looked away sheepishly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Azura chuckled. "Of course. Well, let's grab some seats."

Ruby nodded, and she moved off to grab the nearby seats. Azura followed more slowly, taking the seat next to her. Once they were situated, Ruby spoke again.

"So, you know…"

Azura waited for her to continue, seeing her pause and look away for a moment.

"We really should visit Aurora more. I know that stuff has been happening, but...I don't know, I feel bad for not seeing her."

Azura sighed as guilt gripped his heart. "You're right. We should have made some time for her." He smiled, nudging Ruby with the back of his hand. "But we're going to see her now, yeah?"

Ruby gave a small smile, nudging him in return. "True. We should do it more than just this one time, though. Just the two of us."

Azura nodded. "Sure. If that'll make you feel better." He smiled again, leaning back in his seat. "I'll make sure that we can see her more in the coming months."

"Good." Ruby responded, and he her turn to him more and talk again. "Oh, I should tell you what I think we should do with Aurora!"

Azura raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. "And that would be?"

"A bakery!" Ruby said excitedly. "She gets to experience the wonderful world of cookies...and I know just the one we can go to!"

"Not going to tell me anything else?" Azura asked.

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. It's a surprise."

Azura chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'll let you show us this surprise when you want to."

Azura closed his eyes afterward, simply taking in the noises of the airship as Ruby pulled out her scroll to do what she needed to.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura and Ruby had picked up Aurora with ease, and Azura once more had her keep his sweatshirt on to protect from the sun. It might have been rather cloudy, but he didn't expect it to remain like that long. Nor did he expect Aurora to be almost confused by the festive look and feeling to Vale.

As Ruby led the way, Azura was kept to just answering questions.

"So many...feelings of joy and...warmth." She said as he gave her a piggyback ride. "What is this festival for again?"

Azura smiled, adjusting his grip. "Well, it's mainly to celebrate the peace and unity of the four kingdoms. This year, Vale is the one to host it. If I had to guess, everyone is just excited to be able to show off their collective power to make it a festival to remember forever."

"Oh." Aurora responded softly. "I like it."

Azura hummed in agreement. "I do too. We all do."

"Including Luna...and the ghost lady inside your heart?"

Azura laughed lightly. "Yes, they do as well."

Aurora answered simply. "Good."

Azura just realized that Aurora was talking about the festival like this was the first she had seen it.

"I thought Vale hosted this every four years. Did you not see it last time?" Azura asked.

"I did not. The...poor areas do not get this." Aurora responded.

He frowned at her words. "I see." He moved the topic of the conversation to another thing, looking over at Ruby in front of them. "I hope you didn't mind that Ruby and I haven't been around to be with you recently."

"I don't. But, will you be visiting more?" Aurora asked.

Azura nodded. "Of course. We'll make time for you."

Ruby looked back, smiling at them. "We'll almost be there!"

Azura smiled back, watching her turn back before speaking to Aurora again. "Beacon academy will be starting their classes again after the August break, so we'll be busier than how much we have been. But the weekends will have time just for the three of us, hopefully."

"Beacon...you were on the news recently. Along with Ruby...and the cat Faunus. Two others as well." Aurora said, just speaking aloud, before pausing. "Oh...I shouldn't talk about that."

Azura sighed quietly. "You felt my emotions, didn't you?"

"Sorry…"

Azura shook his head. "No, you don't need to apologize. And yes, the five of us were on the news. A really bad event with a mech fight, but you don't need to worry about that. We're having a good day, okay?"

"_Mostly because Ozpin couldn't really find a way to excuse the destruction caused by it and the Beacon students who happened to be there._" Summer said dryly.

"We are, yeah." Aurora said, her calm tone disrupted with a hint of excitement and joy.

Azura adjusted his grip again, seeing Ruby stop walking as they waited for the crosswalk to be safe to cross. She looked over at Azura, speaking to him in excitement.

"We should be there in the next block or two."

Azura smiled. "Is that so? You hear her, Aurora?"

Aurora looked down at Ruby. "What is in a block or two?"

"Uh…" Ruby said, looking between Azura and Aurora.

Azura laughed. "Might as well tell her, Ruby."

"It's a bakery called 'Hasty Pasty Casey'. They have amazing cookies and I thought you would like to try some. I can tell you have a sweet tooth!"

Aurora blushed slightly. "I do."

"Isn't the name a little...funny?" Azura asked, trying to not laugh.

Ruby looked away, giggling. "Just a little."

They crossed the road and continued walking after a few more moments. Once they turned the corner, Azura could see the bakery right in front of him, on the other side from them. Though, it only took them another minute to be directly in front of them.

Red font showed the very name that they were looking for. Through the windows, a simple red and white tile design could be seen, with a large counter with several different cakes and cookies hidden behind glass. Two men could be seen working, one at the register, and another bringing cookies out and about.

"Let's go in." Azura said.

He put Aurora down, and he could feel her grab his hand, which he allowed and walked in with Ruby to his side. A closer look inside of the bakery showed a pair of swing doors that likely led to the kitchen itself, and the counter had names for the cookies, such as chocolate chip and white chocolate.

"Woah...I've never seen so many cookies." Aurora said quietly.

Azura would have agreed, but since coming to Beacon and meeting Ruby, and more specifically Nora, he could say he's seen more than enough desserts and cookies for a lifetime.

"Well, you two can find a place to sit down. I'll get the good stuff." Ruby said, waving them off.

Azura nodded, and walked with Aurora to a table away from the windows and sunlight coming in. They sat down, Azura on the edge and Aurora inside. As she brought the oversized hood down, Azura looked over and spoke.

"What do you think?"

"It's quiet." Aurora said. "And heartfelt."

Azura smiled. "That's good. You like it, then?"

"Yes." She responded quickly.

"Great."

Ruby joined them shortly afterwards, sitting across from Azura and Aurora. She had placed down a large tray, a pile of different cookies and some plastic bottles of some milk brand on them.

"Well, here we are. Time to show you what I mean when I say this place has amazing cookies." Ruby said, grabbing a cookie and waving a hand. "Come over here, Aurora. I need to explain so many things about cookies to you."

Aurora shifted over to sit next to Ruby. Azura would have participated, but he could feel Summer just sitting on the brim, waiting.

"_What's up?_" He asked her.

"_It's just...bittersweet. Seeing this._" She responded.

"_Ruby and Aurora?_"

"_Partially, yes. Seeing Ruby kind of act like how I did with Yang and Ruby herself when they were young brings back good memories. And, I do admit that I like seeing you try your best with someone you don't know very well. I mean, I would do the same...back then._"

Azura nodded, a small smile on his face as Aurora took a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie, her eyes widening in surprise. Ruby looked ecstatic, awaiting some reaction.

"_I get what you mean, I think. You don't seem too down by this, so I guess you're taking it well?_"

Summer laughed. "_You worry too much, Azura. Trust me, I am very happy to just be able to see this. Something about what you and Ruby are doing for Aurora just makes me feel good. It might not be my idea, but I feel like it's something I can be a part of. Though, I don't think Luna feels the same._"

Azura glanced over at Luna, who was simply looking at the cookies behind the counter upside down. "_She's kinda odd like that. She was very loving, trust me on that. But ever since she came back to me as a ghost with my semblance making her visible, she's been different._"

"_How so?_" Summer asked.

Azura shrugged, looking back to seeing Ruby very intently explaining some knowledge involving the cookie in her hand and the milk in the other.

"_Just more reserved. I can understand it, I guess, given what happened. There are times where she's closer to like she was, but I've gotten used to it. Doesn't bother me, like with her being a mute._"

Summer hummed in response. "_Yeah. Being a ghost will do that to a person, I suppose. Really makes you think, doesn't it?_"

Azura tilted his head, simply watching Aurora and Ruby get progressively more excited in their talk.

"_Makes me appreciate the living friends I have more than anything._"

"_It's kind of like Ruby, but the opposite of that. I think she's been seeing the dead in a bit of a different light because of you._"

Azura blinked a few times, surprised. "_Really? I haven't noticed much of anything._"

"_Of course you haven't._" Summer laughed. "_But let's not linger on such dark topics. I just wanted to thank you._"

"_For the family thing?_" Azura asked.

"_Yes. I was just meaning to say that it felt nice to feel like I'm part of something, even if passively._"

"_To be fair, I think we've bonded quite a bit recently. Maybe it was forced because of our situation, but I'm not complaining._" Azura said, speaking honestly.

"_Agreed, Azura. It might not be the best of situations, given what Ozpin's been saying, but it's been fun. To see things unfold and be able to do something within it._"

Ruby looked at Azura, speaking excitedly.

"Come on, slowpoke! Join us!"

Azura chuckled, bending forward. He noticed Aurora looking at him, as if understanding something that even he didn't. She smiled warmly at him, and Azura smiled back.

Azura couldn't help but love these kinds of moments the most.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura sat down next to Ruby on the airship back, sighing with content. He looked over at her, seeing her looking at him already.

"You have something to say, Rubes?" Azura asked.

"Er...yeah. Just thinking about things." Ruby responded, looking down at her boots awkwardly.

"Such as?"

He could see Ruby playing with her fingers, tapping them along her leg. She didn't respond, so Azura decided to take a guess.

"Is it Aurora? Like, the situation as a whole?"

Ruby nodded. "It's not in a bad way, either. I'm just...nervous, you know?"

Azura tilted his head, trying to think if he felt the same. "I get what you mean, but I don't know. I don't remember feeling terribly nervous about it. Not yet, that is."

Ruby frowned. "I don't know. It's just...we aren't much older than Aurora."

Azura raised an eyebrow. "And?"

She sighs, looking at Azura again. "Well, what does that make us to her? Parents? Siblings? Friends?"

"Oh, that's what you mean." Azura said, shaking his head. "Look, Ruby. How do _you_ personally feel about this?"

Ruby thought about it for a few moments. "I...I don't know. I want her to be happy."

"Like how you would want to be happy? Or how you would want Yang to be happy? Your dad? Maybe even Weiss?"

"Of course Weiss! And Blake. And you, and all my friends!" Ruby said. "Well...the small group of them I have."

Azura smiled. "Would you say treat them like any friend, then?"

Ruby shook her head. "Kind of? Maybe? I treat them like I treat Yang, if I can. Kind of like family, or something."

Azura nodded. "Then, if it will help you, treat Aurora like that." He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "Not like you are a parent, or anything super specific. Just like, as if she was family to you."

Ruby looked down, voicing her thoughts. "I guess that works, yeah. It makes it...kind of easier to think of it like that."

Azura chuckled. "Good to hear. We'll be there for her, and for each other. Together."

Ruby slowly smiled. "Together."

The airship jitters to a halt as they reach Beacon in the next ten minutes, with Azura simply enjoying the silence. He opened his eyes, getting up and seeing Ruby do the same. They walked out of the airship, and the sky was starting to dim as Azura looked up at the sky.

Moving forward and away from the airship, Azura and Ruby kept their silence until they came across Yang, who had been waiting for them, it seemed. They approached her, and Azura waved as they grew close.

"Heya, Yang. What's up?"

She shrugged. "Not much, just wanted to see you guys come back."

Azura looked at Ruby, then back to Yang. "I mean, you haven't really done this until now. Do you need some help with something?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. I have my role in getting the dance together covered. I actually was looking for you specifically, Azura."

Ruby tilted her head. "For what?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two love your questions. I wanted to have Azura come with me to the training halls. There's something I want to see from him, or well, Weiss said I might have an interest in it."

Azura frowned, thinking he knew what it was Weiss meant. "Summer's semblance?"

Yang snapped her fingers, pointing at him. "Bingo. She says I'd be the best one to help you with the jumping. Which, isn't wrong."

Ruby looked between them, confused. "But what about me? I have the same semblance."

Yang shrugged. "Weiss said something about family semblances acting differently in some regards for each member. And how that could interfere with something else. I didn't understand it, but she seemed adamant, so I agreed I would do it."

"Oh. Weiss is weird." Ruby responded.

"Yep." Azura and Yang said together.

They all got a laugh out of that. Once Ruby gave her farewells, Yang walked off and waved for him to follow her. He jogged to catch up, but fell in step with her once he did. Luna was passively floating near Yang as she spoke.

"So, this jumping. What's it like? Like, how does it happen?"

Azura nodded his head to show he was listening. "Well, Summer is the one to trigger it, like with her actual semblance. But, as she does, it's like my legs tighten and almost bunch up. I feel energized and then I crouch down slightly and push off the surface I'm on and get slingshotted, basically."

Yang brought a hand to her chin. "Makes sense why I was asked, then. Ruby's never shown a capability to do that. I mean, you both share the speed, but it seems like you can't slightly hover like her, and I have yet to see you became a full ball of rose petals. Become rather hard to see, yes, but you never form like that. Is there anything else that has popped up recently?"

Azura tilted his head, raising his thumb and forefinger to his chin. "Well, we've been able to slow down our momentum when falling from a large height. Not too successfully, though."

"Interesting. Well, I can't help too much without seeing anything. Let's get going."

Azura nodded, swiftly following after her.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura breathed in and out slowly, focusing himself. Yang had tasked him to simply do the jump, no special things or things that could affect the jump. Simple enough, if he could say.

"_Ready._" Azura said.

Summer triggered her semblance, and the familiar feeling of his legs tightening up welled in him. The beginnings of rose petals slowly formed at his legs from the knee down, and he grinned at the energy that he felt. A moment later, he jumped, the burst of speed hitting him as wind ripped through his hair.

He quickly landed, running a few more yards afterwards to slow his momentum. He stopped afterwards, looking over to his side, where Yang had been watching. He rang a hand through his hair, moving over to her.

"We've done this five times now, I think Anything to say?" He asked.

Yang nodded. "Yeah. It's as Weiss said, totally unlike what Ruby can do. That, or she just never tried to build up energy in her legs before jumping with her semblance." She shakes her head. "Anyway, I do think there's an issue. You keep missing your target."

"My target? I've had a target?" Azura questioned, confused.

Yang nods again. "Yep. I kept putting you in the same position every time for a reason. You start at the same point, but you've landed in different areas each time. It's either you go farther, go too short, and seemingly too much to the right."

"Like I'm being inaccurate?"

Yang smirked. "A quick learner, eh? And yeah, that seems to be exactly what it is. Does anything feel different about? For either of you."

"_I certainly don't. Do you?_"

"_Not that I can think of. I might have lost my touch or something._" Summer said.

Azura raised an eyebrow, but spoke aloud. "She says that it could be that she just lost her touch with these abilities of her semblance."

Yang shrugged. "It could be that, yeah. So, I suppose that means nothing really feels that different?"

"Not that we know of." Azura said. "I think it's pretty likely that Summer is just out of practice while I'm very new to it."

"Yeah, makes sense." She looked down, thinking for a few good moments before snapping her fingers. "Idea! Do you think if you had some physical object to aim at, that you could aim more accurately. If not, then we can make it good practice."

Azura smiled. "It might. Let's find out. What do you have in mind?"

Yang pointed past him. "I'll just stand over there and you have to aim for me. If you get close enough, I'll catch ya. Right," She moved to him, turning him away and pushing in the direction opposite of her. "Get going!"

Azura returned back to the same position he started, and when he turned around, he could see Yang standing there in a relaxed manner. Though, looking a bit closer, he could see her staring at him intently, as if analyzing his body to be able to catch him properly.

He shook his head, loosening his limbs and crouching down. Repeating the same process, he launched himself. Though, once he landed and stopped himself, he noticed that he had indeed overshot Yang and was several feet ahead of her to her right.

"Guess you're right about that." Azura said dryly, already walking back to where he had jumped.

Yang's laugh made him roll his eyes in amusement.

He turned back around once he was back in position, shaking his head. He looked at Yang, focusing on her. He shot off like a rocket a moment later, overshooting her again and stumbling once he hit the ground again.

"Huh…" He said.

They kept at it for a while after that. Overshot, undershot. Not enough of a jump, too much power in the jump. It was one thing or another, if Azura had to guess. It was honestly rather frustrating to him. After a bit longer, Yang called out for him to stop.

He sat down and leaned on the wall tiredly. He wasn't exactly exhausted or sweaty, but he was certainly feeling like he could never jump again. Yang sat down next to him, speaking with amusement.

"Well, I guess that certainly went worse than expected."

Azura chuckled. "You can say that. Though, now that I notice it, I think it might be tunnel vision."

Yang nodded. "That's what I think. You spent a lot of time staring at me, as well. Am I that distracting?"

He rolled his eyes. "If you say so, Yang. Your teasing flirts need more work, they were better when I first knew you."

Yang punched him on the shoulder lightly. "Shut it, Snow. I'm aware of that."

Azura rubbed his shoulder in mock pain. "Now now, no need to be feisty. I'm just saying that you suck at flirting more than I thought."

Yang laughed quietly. "Yeah, yeah."

Azura closed his eyes, breathing in and out and then sighing. "Hey, Yang?"

"Hm?"

"What would you do if you knew things about someone that their family didn't?"

"Depends on the person, I suppose." Yang responded.

Azura waited a few seconds before responding again. "I guess. I'm sure you know why I ask."

"I do, yeah." Yang said, a hint of sadness in her tone. "My family's kind of fucked up, isn't it?"

Azura opened his eyes, looking at Yang as he turned his head. "Come on, Yang. It...it could be worse."

"Could it?!" Yang said loudly, gritting her teeth. "A deadbeat mom, a dead second mother!"

Azura could feel the guilt stirring within him from Summer. It made for an uncomfortable feeling as a stray thought of that Yang look-a-like, Raven, came to mind.

"Dad was in really bad shape for years, leaving me to take care of Ruby!" Yang continued.

Azura felt the feeling become tense, freezing up.

"And it was just the best time of my life, wasn't it?!" She said, getting up again. Her hands were balled up.

The empty silence from Summer was telling. Azura got up, working through the heavy feelings coming from her, and placing a hand on Yang's arm. She looked at him, eyes red.

"Yang...please." Azura said.

She looked down. "Right...right."

He shook his head. "It's okay. I remembered what you said, about how anger is your natural response. But...she's been putting it all on herself for so long, all alone."

Guilt entered Yang's eyes as they returned to their natural lilac color. "Sorry. I've just been thinking a lot. And Blake's whole 'slowly killing my sleep schedule' thing has been reminding me of something that I did."

Azura smiled, though it was hard to make it seem natural with Summer now feeling horrible. "It's fine, Yang. Really. Do you want to...talk? About anything?"

She shook her head. "No. These words are for Blake. I'm sorry, though. You and...and mom don't deserve such words."

Azura nodded, accepting her words. "Okay."

Yang sighed. "I should go. I probably just need sleep." She turned away, as if to walk away.

"Wait, Yang." Azura said.

Once she turned back to him, he spoke again. "I'll be there, if you need it. I might have an idea of who you are looking for. We could do it together. If you ever need someone."

Yang smirked. "I'll keep it in mind, Azura. Thanks."

She turned back around again, walking off. Once she turned a corner and vanished, Azura shook his head and sighed.

"_Summer?_" He asked.

"_I'm fine, Azura. It'll leave soon._"

Azura sighed again. "_Emotional burdens are heavy things, Summer. It's okay to admit it. Even if I'd know either way._"

Summer gave a short and quiet laugh at his words. "_Not wrong, Azura._"

He could feel Luna lightly attach to him, hugging him lightly.

Azura smiled lightly. "_One step at a time, Summer. Together?_"

"_You've said that a lot today, Azura. To Ruby, and to Yang. And now to me._" Summer responded, a hint of her usual sarcasm and amusement coming in her tone.

"_And I meant it every time._"

Summer laughed a little more fully this time. "_Just get to bed, Azura. We have that dance coming up, don't we?_"

Azura rolled his eyes, starting to make his way out of the training halls. _"The one I did nothing to prepare for?_"

Summer sighed heavily, though it seemed mocking. "_You aren't wrong about that. But you're still going to it._"

"_Yeah, okay. Whatever the mother says, huh?_"

"_Duh, of course._" Summer said sarcastically.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there we are. A chapter that sets things up, yes, but I did enjoy writing it. Next chapter will be interesting, that's for sure. Hope you'll like that when it gets finished.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	27. Rose Camaraderie

**Well, here's the chapter that I called interesting last time. I think I'll just let it speak for itself.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 27: Rose Camaraderie**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**August 30th**

**Friday**

**Clear**

Azura was not exactly sure how he ended up next to a shirtless Ren, especially fresh from the shower. Nor did he know how to answer Jaune's questions about Weiss. Yet, he was apparently forced into such an act.

He looked over at Nora, who was wearing her pink headphones and blasting music, and wished he could do the same.

"I don't know...I just feel like I'm doing something wrong." Jaune said, sighing.

Azura glanced at Ren before responding. "So you came to us for help, or something?"

"Well, she has been kind about turning you down, at least." Ren supplied.

Jaune shrugged. "I mean...yeah. I don't know what to do from here. I mean, my father's advice is not as effective as he made it out to be." He finished, chuckling.

"I see." Ren said, his voice bland.

"The pick-up lines haven't worked…"

"Could've sworn Weiss said that they were pretty bad." Azura mumbled.

Jaune rubbed his hands together as he spoke again. "I thought I was confident enough. I don't know, I guess my ol' father was wrong."

"Hey hey, let's not go that far." Azura said, ignoring Summer's murmured comment about how Jaune wasn't wrong. "Maybe you're just going about it the wrong way?"

"Azura has a point, Jaune. I think it is likely that Weiss simply does not care for how you are attempting it."

Jaune frowned. "What other way would there be to go about it?"

Azura glanced at Ren, who looked at him. When Azura shook his head, moving to answer, a voice called from their side.

"The honest way, Jaune."

They all looked over, including Nora, who had taken her headphones off, to see Pyrrha looking at them. Pyra was behind her, eyebrow raised.

Pyrrha continued. "Just be honest, and be you, Jaune. No tricks or fancy moments. Just you and your honest feelings."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, almost in awe. "Like...being open? Nothing else?"

"Yes." She replied, smiling warmly.

Jaune looked down again, thinking. The dorm sat in silence as they watched him. When the blonde boy they called their leader looked up, his baby blue eyes were bright and his smile was wide.

"Right." He said, standing up. "Then, I have some things to do. She still...doesn't have a date, right?"

"Nope." Azura said, simply. "She's been busy with setting the dance up, remember?"

Jaune nodded rapidly, moving the exit the dorm. "Then I have things to do!"

When he left, Pyrrha's happy face dropped, and she sighed. Pyra was digging through her bag for something, and Nora sighed.

"You need to practice what you preach, Pyrrha...it just hurts you when you don't."

Ren nodded. "It would be better for you, and possibly for Jaune."

"And maybe gives Weiss a bit of breathing room?" Azura said, hoping his joking tone was heard.

Pyra laughed in the background as Pyrrha spoke, sitting at the desk. "No, I shouldn't do that. Jaune has been trying very hard to at least have a chance with Weiss, so I wish to see him succeed."

Nora frowned. "Pyrrha…"

Azura notices his scroll go off, and sighed as he watched Pyrrha for a few moments more before standing up and going over to it. Noticing a message from Ruby, he pulled it up.

He rolled his eyes at the words. She was asking him to help rescue her from Yang and Weiss in the ballroom. He shrugged his sweatshirt on, moving to the door. Nora had moved to Ren, but quickly looked at him.

"Help cheer her up, okay?" He mouthed to her.

Nora grinned, saluting him.

He smiled back, then moved out the door. He had a rose to save.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"If I don't get them, you don't get your stupid fog machines!" Weiss said.

Azura had just stepped into the ballroom, and he could see and hear Weiss and Yang going back and forth with each other as they kept going around the ballroom. He shook his head, amused, and made his way towards Ruby.

"Hey, those fog machines took a lot of time to get by Goodwitch! I'm gonna get them whet-oh, Azura! Hello!" Yang called out to Weiss, then shifted to Azura as she looked at him.

"Azura?" Weiss asked, glancing at him. "Oh, hello." She turned around to get back to work. "What brings you to the ballroom? Hopefully not to see me and Yang argue over what goes where."

Azura shook his head, taking an empty seat next to Ruby, who was eagerly looking at him. "Nope. Poor Ruby here asked me to come and rescue her. From boredom, if I could guess."

Yang laughed from across the way. "What?! But Rubes, what isn't there to enjoy about me and Weiss Cream arguing?"

"If another nickname comes out of that mouth of yours, I'm destroying those fog machines before I even consider keeping them around." Weiss said, annoyance in her tone.

As they kept going back and forth, Ruby pushed her chair closer to him and spoke. "Thank you so much...they've been doing this for the past hour now."

Azura chuckled. "So you brought me here to have me suffer here with you?"

Ruby spread her arms on the table in front of them, a few scattered items on it already, speaking in amusement and laziness. "Yup."

Azura smiled, watching her. "Never change, Ruby."

"You got it, boss." Ruby said, giving him a thumbs up.

Azura looked up from Ruby, watching Weiss putting some lights up as she stood on one of her glyphs. Looking to the other side, he could see Yang frowning as she looked into a box. Eventually, she stood up, moving to stand at the table.

"Hey, Weiss!" She called out, a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Yes?" Weiss called back.

"Most of the lights over on my side are dead or duds. Me and Rubes are gonna grab the extras that were back with the other supplies."

"Got it."

Yang pats Ruby's shoulder. "You ready to go, sis?"

Ruby groaned, looking at Azura.

Azura himself shrugged, speaking. "I'll be here when you get back."

Ruby nods, getting up and making her way out of the ballroom with Yang. As they turned the corner, Yang yelled out back towards them.

"Put Azura to work if you want, Ice Queen!"

He heard Weiss grumble something under her breath, though he just shook his head in amusement.

"Do you need help, Weiss?"

Weiss sighed. "No, it's fine. I'm almost done for now."

"Aright." Azura said.

And so, Azura simply kept watching Weiss work. He could easily admit that he enjoyed the act. Similar to Blake or Ren, Weiss had an air of peace and elegance with her actions. It was fascinating to him, really.

"_You might as well just start watching every single one of Weiss's fights in combat class once they get started again at this point._" Summer said.

Azura rolled his eyes. "_Yeah, yeah. I just like watching it. I mean, we fight so aggressively and reactively, so I just enjoy seeing the other side of the coin, you know?_"

"_You got me there._" Summer replied.

Weiss quickly moved down to the ground again, then stepped over to Azura and sat down in the chair that Ruby had reluctantly left. She sighed, rubbing a hand down her face.

Azura raised an eyebrow. "Tired?"

Weiss gave him a sidelong glance. "No. But I've been working on this dance for a few weeks now. I'd like for it to go well."

"Fair enough. I think it will go great, though."

Weiss scoffed. "Are you even going? I haven't exactly seen you do anything in regards to it."

Azura shrugged. "I might as well, I guess. Summer's making me go anyway."

Weiss laughed lightly. "You and your ghosts. Sometimes I do wonder if you ever say no to Summer."

"Hey!"

"It's true! I have yet to see a single moment where you don't agree with her. It's quite amusing, I must say."

Summer's laughter didn't help his case.

Azura sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Okay, I see how it is. The Ice Queen has jokes now. Very funny."

"Of course I have jokes." Weiss said defensively. "I'm not a robot, you know!"

Azura laughed. "Uh huh, sure. I'll believe you for now."

Weiss frowned, a hint of amusement in her voice as she replies. "Maybe I shouldn't show you mercy and ask if you wished to join me for the dance, if that is how you will act."

Azura smiled, shrugging. "Hey, I can't get in Jaune's way."

Weiss quickly sobered up from her joking attitude, looking at Azura. "Really? I thought we talked about this already, Azura."

"Hey, easy. I'm just saying that Jaune hasn't fully decided to give up."

The Schnee heiress sighed. "You would think he would at this point."

Azura leans forward, reaching a hand forward to place it on her arm. "Weiss, at least give him the chance. And well, if you still feel the same after it, just tell him to stop and stay as friends."

Weiss frowned, looking away. "I guess so."

"Hey, he'll understand. He's a nice guy like that." Azura further said.

Weiss nods. "Yeah, that's true. He might be an dumb oaf, but he's a friendly one as well."

Azura nods in return, sitting back again. Weiss shook out her limbs, getting back up, then silently moves back over to where she was working, getting her glyphs working again to lift herself up. A few minutes later, Yang and Ruby returned with two boxes each. Once they set them down where Yang had been working, Ruby returned to her chair again.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey yourself. How'd things go with those boxes?"

Ruby groans. "I was forced to go to that stupid dance...Yang made me agree to it."

Azura chuckled, patting Ruby's shoulder in amused pity. "I am so sorry for you, you little weapon prodigy."

"Soooo…" Ruby said, looking at him limply from her chair.

Azura tilts his head. "Yes, Ruby?"

"Would you like to go with me?" She asked, before spiralling into rapid excuses. "I mean, like as friends, because I know that would be really weird, and if you still don't want to, then I understa-ow!" Ruby finished abruptly, rubbing her forehead from where Azura flicked her.

"Sure, I'll go with you." Azura said, laughing as he spoke.

Ruby looked away, tapping her fingers together. "Oh...okay. I just didn't want to be alone in there, and I bet I'll have to wear those evil things…"

Seeing Ruby start to descend into grumbles, Azura smiled. "You'd be fine even if you went alone, Ruby."

"Shush, you. Yang said the same thing." Ruby quickly replied.

"And Weiss would likely say the same, in her own little way. Unless she's still mad about you not studying." Azura jokingly retorted.

"Would Blake say that?" Ruby suddenly asked.

Azura was surprised by the sudden shift in the conversation, trying to say something in response. "Well…"

Ruby shook her head, her eyes looking at her lap. "I know, I know...she would. But she's doing her whole thing with being bitter and distant again. I mean, will she even go to the dance tomorrow?"

"Yes, she will. You can trust me on that, Rubes." Yang said, popping up behind Ruby and draping her arms over her.

Ruby smiled, looking up at Yang. "You sound really sure, sis. Why's that?"

Yang laughed. "Hey, I have my ways."

"Such as teasing into submission." Weiss said, moving to stand next to Azura.

Yang grinned. "I don't want to hear it from the heiress who marked our ghostly boy with her glyphs."

Ruby was trying not to laugh as Azura glanced at Weiss, who looked a little red.

"It's for a good purpose!" She defended.

"To mark your property?" Yang retorted, still grinning.

They all laughed while Weiss tried to articulate herself. In between laughs, Azura could catch a confident look in Yang's eyes. Whatever she had planned to get Blake to go to the dance, she was pretty sure of herself that it would work.

Tomorrow was going to be something, Azura felt. Excitement built inside of him, though he could tell it was Summer more than anything.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**August 31st**

**Saturday**

**Clear**

"She's just a little nervous, nothing that bad." Blake said, before speaking more quietly. "She's locked herself in the bathroom, though."

Azura frowned, adjusting his suit. It wasn't the fanciest thing, and he was even just using the tie from the student uniform. In his defense, it was red, going with the color he knew Ruby would have.

"Okay, I can handle that. You have a dance to get to as well, Blake."

Blake smiled, and while he could still see her tired look, it had lessened compared to what it had been looking like recently. "That is true, Just thought I would let you know, since I was left to try and help her."

Azura smiled, nodding. "Then get going. I'll handle this."

Blake nodded, turning and walking down the hall. Azura called after her a moment later.

"You look great, Blake. If I don't see you in the dance at some point, have some fun."

Blake waved back at him, still walking away. "Of course, Azura. You as well."

Azura shook his head again, then looked over at Luna. "You don't need to stick around, mother. If you want to, you can stay in the dorm. It's quiet in there, you know."

Luna tilted her head at him, fox ears twitching.

"Could always play music as well. I'm leaving my scrolls there." Azura added.

Luna nodded, moving forward to brush her lips on his cheek. Azura chuckled as she did so, speaking.

"Love you too. Now, get going, I have a certain Ruby to help."

Once she left, Azura breathed in and out, then officially stepped into the open RWBY dorm. He closed the door, hearing the sound of pacing feet in the bathroom. A look around the room showed what he expected, that being a room full of scattered objects. He had to admit that he liked the homely feeling, despite the dirtiness of it.

It also reminded him of Nora.

He smirked as he thought of how excited Nora had been to drag Ren to the dance. But, a moment later, he shook the thought, turning to look at the closed bathroom door. He slowly walked to be in front of it, then gently knocked on it.

"Heya, Ruby. I'm here."

The pacing stopped for a moment. "Azura? Oh no, I'm sorry! It hasn't been too long, has it?!"

Azura chuckled. "No, Ruby. It's only been twenty minutes since the dance started. We still have more than three hours. The dance ends at midnight."

"Right...right. I've just been thinking of different things." Her pacing continued, a bit more rapid now.

"Everything okay, Ruby?" He asked, a sense of urgency coming from Summer.

"What? Of course everything is okay." She quickly replied.

"That's not something a pacing introvert who locked herself in the bathroom would say." He said flatly.

The sound paused again. Then he heard a sigh.

"Azura?"

Azura leaned against the wall, looking out over the room. "Ruby."

"Do you think I'm good enough for this? I mean...dances and social stuff isn't my thing. I'm the weapon prodigy...the one who's younger than everyone else. I wasn't meant to be all pretty and dancy."

Azura frowned at her words. "Of course you're good enough, Ruby. No one will judge you for being a little less comfortable with being at a dance. And hey, if you feel pretty for yourself, then you're pretty enough. You make your own beauty, or something, you know?"

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ruby. I'm sure."

"Okay."

Azura watched the door open, and Ruby stepped out, barefoot, but in her dress. A simple red design was fitting for her, and the black frills along the skirt made him feel like it was an inversed version of her normal wear. Black silk straps could be seen over a dark shroud covering the top of her chest up to her neck, where the straps came together to wrap around it. A thicker, belt-like, silk piece was wrapped around her waist, over the dress, and it overall completed the dress. It made his partially handmade suit seem less of a good outfit, but he didn't let that bother him.

"You look amazing, Ruby. You shouldn't worry so much." He said, smiling.

Ruby gave an awkward smile in return. "You look good, too."

She moved away, sitting on Blake's bed and grabbed the red heels with a sigh. Azura chuckled to himself.

"I did say I would…" Ruby grumbled.

As she kept making quiet complaints, putting the heels on, Azura was glad to see that moment of nervousness gone from Ruby. Though, he couldn't say he had done much to help, outside of a few words.

She stood up, leaning on the bed pole that was held up by books. After a few moments, she looked at Azura and gave a worried smile. Azura moved to stand in front of her, arms hovering at her sides.

"Baby steps, yeah?"

"Yeah. Baby steps would be what this is." Ruby said.

She stepped forward, taking away her own support, and stumbled towards Azura. He caught her, and she laughed a little with her hands on his chest.

"How does Weiss even walk in these things…?" She asked.

"Magic, probably." Was his response, before stepping back and gently holding onto her wrists. "You going to be okay with wearing those things?"

"Uh…"

"Would you like some help walking to the dance so that you can get used to them?" He asked.

"Yes, please." Ruby said.

Azura nodded, moving to stand at her side, then wrapped one arm around her waist, holding the other one out. "Grab on."

Ruby grasped his hand, lacing their fingers. He could feel her attempting to walk, so he stepped with her, going slow. One awkward step at a time, he made sure to keep an eye on Ruby, just in case she stumbled. They eventually made it out of the dorm, stopping for a moment to close the door, then slowly made their way towards the dance.

"_You two are adorable._" Summer said, warmth in her voice.

Azura smiled, shaking his head. When he spoke, he looked more directly at Ruby's face. "You're doing good for someone who doesn't wear heels, you know. Weiss would probably be proud if she saw you."

Ruby continued shambling along with him. "Y-you think so? I can barely walk without you right now."

"Bah, we all start somewhere." Azura said. "Come on, let's get to that dance."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

When they finally got to the ballroom, it had been thirty minutes since it started. Azura looked at Ruby, seeing her still struggle, but clearly with a bit less support from him now. Fancy dancy or not, Ruby was a quick learner. The sound of the music in the ballroom was not quite as loud as Junior's club, and seemed more waltz-like, so it was easy to hear Yang, who had been waiting to greet the people coming in.

"There you two are! And looking quite adorable, with poor Rubes getting help to walk." Yang said teasingly, as Azura looked out to see the large group of dressed up students within the ballroom.

"It's not my fault these stupid lady stilts are trying to kill me." Ruby complained.

Yang laughed her off. "You'll be fine, I promise! Either way, you're some of the last people to come in, so just enjoy your time. Actual partner dances won't be starting for a while."

"Partner dances?" Azura asked.

"Yup. So, I hope you guys know some good slow dances." Yang replied.

Azura and Ruby shared a glance, then looked back at Yang. The look they got back was mocking with Yang's wide grin.

"You guys will do great, I'm sure."

Azura shook his head in amusement as Ruby moved off again, though slower than the urgency she probably had wanted. She moved off to the side, where a line of chairs were, and separated from Azura to sit down with a relieved sigh. Azura sat down in the empty chair next to her.

"These things are going to be the end of me."

Azura looked over to see Ruby looking at her feet. He nudged her with a shoulder, chuckling.

"You're doing good so far, Ruby. I'm willing to bet you will be able to fight just like Weiss by the end of the night." He said jokingly.

Ruby laughed at the words. "I feel like she'd be a great ballerina with how great she can move in heels. Those things are evil, I say."

Azura smiled, amused. "I wouldn't say heels are exactly _evil, _but I see your point."

Ruby sighed. "To the socially awkward?" She asked him.

"If only Jaune were here." Azura replied with a chuckle.

"We'd be a trifecta of this stuff, then. Where _is _Jaune, though?"

"Mister Arc is having a conversation with Miss Schnee. A good one, if I had to guess." A familiar voice said from Azura's left.

When they looked over, they saw Ozpin sitting there with his classic mug, looking at them. He continued a moment later.

"I am simply making sure my students are enjoying the dance. I noticed you two come in late, only to scurry to the sidelines."

Ruby looked at Azura, who simply shrugged, letting Ruby respond. "Oh...no, I'm enjoying my time so far. I'm just not much of...a dancey...fancy…person."

"Well, you can't spend your entire life on the battlefield." Ozpin replied.

"Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot recently…" She grumbled.

Azura chuckled. "That it has, Ruby."

Ozpin smiled. "You know, fighting and dancing aren't so different from each other. Two partners interlocked within an exchange of body movements." He chuckles. "Though, the only problem with dancing is that one wrong move could lead to a swollen foot or sprained ankle."

"That would hurt, yeah." Ruby said, glancing at her heels. "Better to sit here then, safe and sound." She continued, laughing awkwardly.

"It's not everyday that friends can come together like this. Time has a way of testing things...bonds, memory, even reaction times. But having days like this, to simply talk and be with friends that will keep those very bonds strong. Nights like these are ones we won't forget, I would hope." Ozpin said, looking out over the students dancing. "Now, if you excuse me, I must see if other students need anyone to talk to."

Azura and Ruby waved him off, watching him go. Azura looked over at Ruby after a few seconds, speaking. "Wel, that was a perspective changer, wasn't it?

"It was a very Ozpin thing to do, I think." She responded.

Azura laughed. "That it was. He wouldn't be the headmaster if he didn't do such a thing."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura and Ruby had been talking for a while now, a cup of punch in both of their hands as they stood at the table with the punch bowl. Azura had been keeping track of time, and they were starting to close in on the third hour of the dance within a half hour. It was also nice to see Ruby start to just relax and have a good time, heels forgotten.

"Hey, how's everyone else doing right now?" Ruby asked, looking out over the people.

"Hmm." Azura said aloud as he looked out over the crowd of people as well.

He could see Blake and Yang on the side of the dance floor, simply talking and dancing with each other, having a good time. Behind them to the right, standing at one of the tables, he could see Ren entertaining Nora as they spoke to each other. Further to the other side, Weiss could be seen talking to Jaune, the two of them seeming to just keep it simple.

"Well, I don't know where Pyrrha or Pyra are, but everyone else is having a good time, I think. I bet Sun is here as well, somewhere. Probably with his team."

Ruby smiled. "That's good."

Azura nodded, a smile on his own face. "Yes." He heard the current song end, some students leaving the central dance floor, and Blake get pulled a little closer to Yang. "Huh...going to a slower song, I guess."

"Should we...I don't know, join them?" Ruby asked.

Azura was surprised to hear the words. "I thought you didn't want to dance?"

Ruby looked at him, a look of confidence in her eyes. "I want to try now."

Azura laughed. "Then let's go."

Azura led Ruby out onto the dance floor, looking at Yang and Blake to mimic their position. He pulled Ruby closer to him, letting her relax and place her arms around his neck, while he kept his hands just above the waist.

"You can actually reach that high now, huh?" Azura teased.

"Shut up and dance with me, you meanie." Ruby said jokingly. "And for your information, I've grown two inches since I came to Beacon."

Azura laughed, copying the slow motions of the others, simply swaying and circling. "You know, I guess going simple and clean works sometimes."

"It's better, I'd say. I don't have a chance to mess up and step on your toes." Ruby said.

As the dance continued, Azura smiled warmly, feeling Summer's happiness within the moment. It was nice to feel that kind of joy come from the Rose mother.

"I have no aura up, just to say. I'm trusting you to not step on my toes."

Ruby giggled. "Hey, this is simple enough for me to not mess up, okay?"

"Good to know." Azura replied.

They danced in silence, and Azura looked around as they spun. He noticed that Jaune was speaking more urgently to Weiss, looking rather sorry and apologetic. Weiss smiled as she nodded and waved him off, and he smiled in return, swiftly moving off and up the stairs, towards the open balcony that was up there. Azura frowned as he watched Weiss sigh and frown, playing with her fingers.

"Hey, Azura." Ruby called to him.

"Yeah?" Azura asked, giving a small smile as he looked down at Ruby.

"You can give Weiss the next dance. I'm sure Jaune has good reasons, but I don't want her to feel left out."

Azura looked over at Weiss again. "So you saw that as well."

Ruby chuckled. "Hard not to when you were looking away and frowning at something."

Azura laughed quietly. "You have a point. And well, if you don't mind, I can give Weiss a dance."

"Course I don't, dummy." Ruby replied.

As the song ended, they stepped off of their place on the dance floor. Ruby moved around the outside of the dance floor, only slightly stumbling, and reached Weiss, and Azura watched as she pointed to him, and Weiss looked over at him for a moment before turning to Ruby to talk. They had a bit of a back and forth, before Weiss sighed and nodded.

They came back around the dance floor, and Ruby smiled and nodded to him. He smiled back, watching her go to the punch bowl nearby. He turned back, looking to see Weiss looking at him.

"You didn't have to do this." She said.

Azura shook his head. "It's fine, Weiss."

She frowned, but allowed him to bring her onto the dance floor anyways. They took up the same positions that Azura had used with Ruby, starting to dance the same way once the song started.

"Sorry if this is a bit simple for you, Weiss. I'm not the most amazing dancer."

Weiss shook her head. "It's perfectly acceptable, Azura. I may be an heiress and a Schnee, but I'm not going to expect some country boy to be the best waltzer ever."

Azura chuckled. "Country boy?"

"You know what I meant." She said, rolling her eyes.

Azura nodded, thinking for a few moments on if he should bring up Jaune at all. A few moments later, he decided to just go with it.

"So, what was...with you and Jaune? Nothing bad, I hope?"

Weiss frowned, looking away as they spun. "Not exactly, no. It just…"

"Didn't feel that, uh…'special'?" Azura said, attempting to finish her sentence.

"Well, _that_, but also something else. I just feel like Jaune began to, I don't know, realize something?"

Azura frowned, confused. "Realize something?"

Weiss sighed. "I don't know...but then, he said he had to go. Something about Pyrrha needing his help." She laughed quietly, but it sounded slightly hollow to him. "Of course I let him do it. It would be wrong not to."

Azura bit his lip, sighing, and tightening his grip on Weiss a little. "Sorry for bringing it up."

"Huh?" She responded, looking up at him. "No, no. It's fine, really."

He wondered if he would ever get a straight answer from Weiss. Even Blake wasn't like that all the time.

Azura smiled, letting it go. "Of course." He looked around him for a moment, then spoke again. "Well, I'd say all that work you and Yang put in for the dance was worth it, yeah?"

Weiss smiled, looking proud of herself as traces of darker emotions left her. "It was. I'm just glad that so many people have been enjoying it. Even Headmaster Ozpin seemed pleased with it."

"That's good, then. You know, you should mess around with this stuff more. The whole decorating thing." He responded, deciding to go with this topic.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm quite happy with my current place, though."

"The huntress gig? You know, I could always ask Summer to regale you in her tales. She has quite a few fun ones."

"Maybe I will. We'll have to see, though."

They exchanged a few quiet laughs before simply dancing in silence. It was simple, and nothing quite that special, which left Azura to wonder if it was good enough for Weiss. He couldn't really help himself from thinking about it.

"_I'm sure she's perfectly content with it, Azura._" Summer came to the forefront, taking his focus.

"_What makes you so sure?_"

"_Well, I know I would personally be delighted. That, and it's a gut feeling._"

Azura hummed, trusting Summer to be right about it. Though, he took notice of Ruby staring out the entrance at something. He frowned upon seeing her leave, almost rushed.

"Go to Ruby." A soft voice whispered to him.

He turned, noticing Weiss. They had stopped dancing at this point, and Weiss brought them to the side.

"Weiss?" He responded after a moment.

"It's okay." She smiled, seeming honest about it. "You've given me enough. Make sure she gets back safely, okay?"

Azura looked at her with worry, before nodding. "I will, I promise." He said, before turning and moving off.

He reached the entrance, looking out along the courtyard, noticing that Ruby had been going left, her form visible in the distance. He started to stride swiftly in her direction, still unsure of what she was doing. As the distance began to shorten, the towering form of the CCT got closer.

"Why are you going there, Ruby…?" He said to himself.

He continued to shorten the distance, the path to the CCT now fully visible. He saw her stop and gasp, and he managed to close the gap between them. He reached her side, placing his hand on her arm. He saw her gaze staring at something, turning his head to find what held her gaze. It was a guard on the ground, just up the steps before the CCT doors.

Ruby looked up at him, her eyes wide. "He's dead, Azura."

Azura frowned, looking closer and noticing the twisted neck. "Damn…Ruby, get Crescent Rose!"

She quickly grabbed her scroll and called for her rocket locker. It zoomed towards them a moment later, opening once it impacted with the ground. Ruby moved to grab Crescent Rose, instantly unsheathing it.

Azura ran forward once he saw her do so, and she moved to be running next to him. She spoke as they entered the CCT.

"Azura, your weapons! Why won't you call for them?"

Azura shook his head. "Can't. Left my scrolls in the dorm."

"What, why?!"

"No time anymore! We have to go. I'll handle myself if a fight breaks out." Azura said, looking away from Ruby's worried eyes.

They turned down one hall, looking wildly for where the person went. Though, they quickly found more bodies on the ground, all dead.

"Fuck. How'd several guards get taken down like this so fast?" He quickly spoke, feeling Summer's spike in emotion.

"I don't know...but they are bad people." Ruby said, her grip on Crescent Rose tightening.

"They?" Azura said in worry.

"Two. Women, I think." She quickly responded.

Azura made a mental note before responding. "I think they went up to the top. Let's grab an elevator."

They entered an elevator, and he was just glad that more bodies weren't in there, waiting for them. As it moved up, the music that played seeming more creepy, Azura felt a surge of worry rip through him.

"_Ruby…_" Summer said, like she was talking to herself.

Azura frowned, grabbing onto Ruby's arm. "Ruby."

She looked at him, her eyes wide.

"Be careful, please. For her sake."

Ruby gasped, as if just now thinking of it. "You too, Azura. For my sake?"

Azura nodded. "Will do. Be ready for a fight, in case it does happen."

The elevator doors opened a few moments later. They quickly stepped out, looking around the room. The lights were dim, but Azura was sure it wasn't bad enough for Ruby to struggle to see in. They stepped forward together, and Ruby called out.

"Is anyone there?"

Azura kept looking around the room, trying to spot any movement. They closed in on the central desk, when two people stepped out from it. Azura jumped back, Ruby just to his side. He frowned, looking them over to see if he could spot anything suspicious or some way to guess if they would attack, and how. They had very similar outfits, purely black and skin tight, and masks that covered their entire face. They only notable traits they had being that they were indeed female, that they both had black hair, and that they could clearly see them, but they had no visible eyes.

"You aren't supposed to be here." Azura said simply, raising his fists up and spacing his legs evenly. "What were you doing here?"

Neither woman spoke, but they glanced at each other with a tilt of their heads. The one on the right suddenly created a short spear made of a dark material, throwing it the other one, who grabbed it with ease. A moment later, and the one that created the spear had two swords in her hands.

Azura glanced at Ruby, who looked at him. She nodded, her lips tight and her eyes sharp. They sped forward, petals flying out from their semblances, each of them picking a target. Ruby spiral slashed into the one with the swords, a sharp clang and screech being heard, while Azura brought an open palm up to slap the incoming stab away as he hit the shaft, his punch missing as she dodged back.

He kept up the aggression, going off of what he knew of close quarters combat and what Yang had shown him, and brought out a combo of keeping the spear away while trying to land a solid blow. He quickly sped back and away from the sweeping slash towards him, dodging and following after Summer's shadow movements once the unknown woman rushed forward with stabs and vertical cuts.

Azura jumped up onto one of the panels, then directly towards the spear wielder, spinning around the petals and bringing his heel down onto the spear, hearing a crack in the glass. She pushed back, flaring what seemed to be fire dust through the spear. Azura landed on his hands, flipping back and landing on his feet. Quickly back to dodging, Azura followed after Summer again, the spear seeming to get closer to his face than he would prefer.

He noticed that he was being dragged closer to Ruby and the other woman, but he couldn't escape the ruthless and unstopping assault of stabs and slices.

"Ruby!" He called out.

Ruby spared just a glance at him as she blocked and slashed, forcing the woman with swords off of her for a moment. "Petal Swap!"

Azura remembered the team attack she had brought to him. Well, he remembered several of her ideas, but he knew what she wanted to do.

"Go!" She called.

A sudden explosion of petals flew around the fight, and he slid down as Ruby leapt up and spun towards the spear woman, and Azura came up with a punch, making contact with one of the swords and hearing another crack. He growled, dodging one slash and pushing away the other one and taking the slash with his aura. He punched forward quickly, releasing a third punch and feeling it miss.

"Go!" Ruby called out again.

He flipped up, kicking towards the sword woman as he went over Ruby. He felt the spear slice along his aura, keeping the momentum and kicking behind him and spinning, punching down as he hopped up. It missed, but Azura simply kept going and punched with his other hand and feeling another crack along the spear.

"Go!" Ruby called out a third time.

Azura spun away from the spear woman, feeling Crescent Rose's large scythe head slice over his head as he once again punched towards the sword woman, who dodged this time and brought her swords against his arm, the only way he could block.

"Out!" Ruby called out, though she said it with a hiss of pain.

He jumped out, feeling Ruby's dress brush against him before he saw her fall over. He grit his teeth, standing in front of Ruby as the two women looked at him. Gunshots quickly went off a moment later, the sound of them heavy and loud. Azura whipped his head, looking at who had been firing.

"That will be quite enough." General Ironwood stated, his arm outstretched with a heavy looking pistol in his hand.

Azura moved to Ruby, lifting her up in his arms as he crouched down. He looked down at her, her face in a grimace, and frowned.

"Watch out!"

Azura looked up, seeing Ironwood crouch in front of them and grunt as both the spear and swords were thrown at him, before they crackled and vanished into clouds of smoke. Azura brought Ruby closer, trying to see through it.

As it started to disperse, and it became clear that only the three of them were in the room, Azura shook his head and looked at Ruby. "You okay?"

Ruby nodded, transforming Crescent Rose and putting it in her lap as she responded. "It was those stupid lady stilts. I think I might have sprained an ankle while we were doing Petal Swap."

Azura smirked. "On the bright side, it went pretty well, as far as never-tested-before team attacks go."

The smoke had fully vanished by now, and Ironwood was standing and looking around. After a few seconds, he turned and looked down at Azura and Ruby.

"You two are fine, I take it?" He asked, his voice serious.

Azura was the one to respond. "Yeah, we're fine. Ruby thinks she sprained her ankle, however."

"Aura should cover it, though." Ruby quickly said.

Ironwood frowned, but nodded. "True." He sighs. "Stay here with me, just in case they are still here." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "And I have several questions about what was going on here. But that will be for later, once Oz is informed of what occurred."

Azura looked down at Ruby again, a tired and nervous grin on his face. She gave him a just as tired, but more anxious smile in return. Azura was hoping it would be a memorable night, but it seemed he would get more than what he initially asked for. More so, with the imposing General standing next to them.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Not going to lie, that fight in the CCT was a lot of fun to write. But, I do hope that the dance itself wasn't bad, even if I didn't really put a focus on it. That's all to really say here.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	28. Troubled Hearts

**Well, here it is! Chapter 28, up and ready to go. A bit shorter than recent chapters, but I think keeping it contained will be better overall. Also, I have some thoughts on something, but that'll be at the end of the chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 28: Troubled Hearts**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 1st**

**Sunday**

**Rainy**

The rain lightly hit against the window in the JNPR dorm as Azura stepped out of the bathroom, and he sighed lightly. The only people within the dorm with Azura was Luna, Pyra, and Ren, and they looked at him as he sighed.

"Not thrilled to talk with the Headmaster, Azura?" Ren asked.

"Not really." He replied.

Ren nodded. "Figured as much. Something happened that he had to inform both team Juniper and team Ruby, so it must be serious. When you and Ruby presumably left the ballroom...what happened?"

Azura shook his head. "Can't say."

"Odd. Why's that?" Ren asked, putting his weapons down from cleaning them.

Azura kneels on the ground, going through his bag. "Well, Ironwood kinda forced it on us. Seeing as he's a General in charge of an entire military...can we really say no?"

"Good point. What do you think, Pyra?" Ren asked, turning to look at the girl.

Azura turned his head, hands still in his bag, but pausing his task to look at Pyra. Though, she was looking at the ground, playing with a small ball of fire, a crushed fire dust crystal in her palm, clearly not hearing Ren. Her blue eyes were unfocused, and it worried Azura. He quickly finished up his task with his bag, then moved to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Pyra?"

She blinked, waving her hand and making the flames vanish, then looked up at him. "Huh?"

Azura looked over at Ren, who was frowning in confusion, then turned his head back to Pyra. "You okay? You seemed really out of it."

She gave a tired smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a bad dream, that's all."

Azura frowned, but nodded. "Well, I need to get going. Can't keep two Headmasters waiting, now can I?"

Ren nodded. "Of course not. See you later, Azura."

Azura gave a final wave and left the JNPR dorm. He closed the door, and saw Ruby waiting for him. She was rapidly tapping her fingers along her crossed arms, tapping her foot at the same speed. When she noticed him, she smiled weakly and stepped forward.

"Took you long enough. Now let's get going." She said, grabbing his arm and moving to drag him along.

Azura winced at the suddenly tight grip and tugged on Ruby's arm, stopping her. She looked back, letting go, then looked at the ground guiltily.

"Sorry...I'm just really nervous."

Azura smiled. "It's okay, Ruby. We'll be fine, they just want to talk about what we saw."

Ruby nodded slowly. "I know that. But, I'm still a little, I dunno, psyched up. It's not everyday that you talk to your Headmaster about what two killers were doing on Beacon grounds…" She said, giving an anxious laugh as she remained looking down.

Azura tried his best to ignore the dark feeling spurring from Summer, moving forward to place both hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby, look at me."

She looked up, clearly looking tired. "Looking up." She said, giving another weak smile.

"It will be fine. We're helping them with this by telling them what we saw, to stop those kinds of people, okay?"

Ruby nodded again, and her familiar gleam of the confident leader she could be came back. "Right." She gave a fuller, but still small, smile. "Thanks, Azura. I think I needed to hear that. We won't let those people get away with it."

Azura smiled back. "Of course not."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Out of all the ways Azura expected to enter Ozpin's office, he had not expected to see Ironwood speaking angrily to Ozpin.

"You can't be serious, Oz! They killed some of my men!"

Ruby flinched slightly, and Azura placed a light hand on her back to comfort her. Summer was still feeling dark, but she was clearly more defensive of Ruby at the moment, and that was starting to rub off of her to him. He looked down at her and smiled, and she nodded back.

As they stepped into the office, Ozpin responded. "Enough, James. We have guests now."

Ironwood stands up straight from his position, sighing and tightening his tie. He turned his head to the side. "I apologize for whatever you heard. Good to see you two on a more...peaceful occasion."

"Please, come in. There is much to discuss." Ozpin said.

Azura nodded, giving Ruby one more glance before walking in. Ruby joined his side a moment later.

"This is about last night, right?" Azura asked.

"Correct. Due to the circumstances of it, you two are going to be key for how we proceed." Ozpin answered.

"As I'm sure you guessed, we need to ask you some questions about what you saw." Ironwood said, to further explain Ozpin's words.

Azura nodded again. "Of course. If we can help, we will."

Ozpin smiled. "That's good to know. Now, the first order of business…" He glances at Ironwood for a moment, then back to Azura. "What made you go out to the CCT anyways? Were you and Miss Rose out for a walk away from the dance?"

Azura frowned. "Well...yes. Weiss said she saw her leave, so I ran out to see if I could catch up to her. By the time I caught up with her, we were at the CCT already."

Ozpin nodded, then turned to Ruby. "Well, Miss Rose? What made you leave the ballroom?"

"Uh...well, I stepped to the side, near the entrance around eleven last night. After a minute or two, I saw two people running along the roofs and sneaking around, so I followed after them. Once Azura found me, we were at the CCT and saw a dead guard. I had to investigate."

"So you both decided to enter the CCT with people who were willing to kill for what they wanted? Neither of you thought to get help from myself or your headmaster?" Ironwood asked.

"_Oddly specific of you, Ironwood._" Summer commented, her tone sharp.

"No, we did not. Once Ruby decided to enter, I followed her. I wasn't going to risk leaving her at that point." Azura answered, a small frown on his face.

"It just seems to me that Miss Rose just so happened to be the only one to notice those people…" Ironwood continued.

A flicker of a strong emotion within Azura, feeling foreign. It was clearly from Summer, but nothing like he felt from her before.

"Are you suggesting Ruby was a part of it?" He said roughly, narrowing his eyes as his more rational side stepped down a bit.

"I am simply laying out the options." Ironwood replied curtly.

"Ruby is innocent!" Azura said, Summer coming to the forefront as her voice slightly passed the 50/50 balance they had when talking.

"Azura, calm yourself." Ozpin said. "James, I would prefer that you do not insinuate that one of my students took part in this act. Especially one so young."

"Of course. I apologize for my...harsh and unnecessary words, Miss Rose."

Azura took a breath, still feeling Summer's anger. Though, he broke his sight on Ironwood, who had turned away, when Ruby pressed her hand on his arm. She was looking at him in worry, and Azura could feel that Summer almost instantly starting to calm down. Ozpin cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention again.

"Moving on. Miss Rose, though I already know the information, you can confirm that all Atlesian guards there were dead?"

Ruby nodded silently, her face glum, edging slightly closer to Azura.

"And that these two women looked very similar?"

Ruby nodded again, and Ozpin keep his gaze on her for a moment before turning to Azura.

"Mister Heart, would you like to tell us what they looked like? Did they have any visible identifiers?"

Azura took a moment to think. "It would be hard to give anything big...they were both wearing the same outfit, a black catsuit and a black mask that covered their faces. It was near impossible to see any eye color or something that way. They both had black hair, and were clearly female."

"One of them made these dark glass weapons, that they both used." Ruby commented quietly.

Azura nodded. "And the weapons can be infused with dust, though they only used fire dust." Azura finished.

"Glass...and fire dust...that sound like the woman me and Miss Rose fought when we first met. But there was a second woman this time." Goodwitch said from the side, looking at Ozpin.

Ozpin took a moment to think, then nodded. "I see. I do think the weapon choice will help. Black glass...yes, very interesting." He drank from his mug before speaking again. "Is there anything else you'd like to say about this?"

Ruby spoke up again. "Well...they might have mentioned something about the White Fang while there...something about a base...in the southeast."

Azura knew she was lying, but decided to simply watch what happened.

Ironwood glanced at them, but remained silent.

"Hm...interesting." Ozpin said. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Rose. You may leave."

"But, what about Azura?" She asked.

"I just wish to discuss a more private matter with him." Ozpin said.

"Okay." Ruby said, unsure.

As she turned to leave, Ozpin spoke again. "And, Miss Rose, I ask that you keep what we spoke of discreet."

"Uh, of course, sir." Ruby said awkwardly, then exited the office through the elevator.

Azura watched her go before turning to Ozpin. "What personal matter? Is it about the Nightmare?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No, that is not it. I have already told you that tracking it further will be very hard, so it's been called off for now." He took a sip from the mug, then sighed. "I actually wanted to speak of something I noticed."

"Something you noticed?" Azura asked.

"Yes. Earlier, when James stepped out of line." A sharp glance was sent his way, with Ironwood coughing to fill the silence. "You seemed to grow angry, in a rather defensive way. You are not known for your quick temper, Mister Heart. Defensive, yes. Angry, no."

Azura frowned. "I've just grown closer with Ruby and other people."

Ozpin nodded. "I do not disagree with that. It is good to have friends you can trust. But, it was not just that. Your voice usually remains equal to..." He glanced at Goodwitch and Ironwood, who both nodded. "Summer's. That changed for what I am guessing was the first time. It was more like Summer's voice than your own. And Summer was known for a quick temper if one of her friends were treated badly, much less her own daughter."

Azura shook his head. "I was just in the heat of the moment, sir."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "I trust that you are not hiding anything, Mister Heart. You must keep in mind the very delicate balance you and Summer share. It's important that you share with us if that balance starts to shift in one way or another."

"Of course, sir. If anything like that happens, I'll let you know." Azura said.

"Good to hear. You are dismissed as well. I trust that you will also be discreet about the same matter that I asked Miss Rose to be discreet with."

"I will." Azura said, turning to leave.

He entered the elevator, sighing heavily once the doors closed. He rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes.

"_He does have a point, Azura._" Summer said.

"_I know._"

"_And...I'm sorry for what happened. I was just taken aback by his words, and got angry._" she continued.

"_I know._" Azura answered again.

Summer sighed. "_We'll just have to be careful, then. We don't know what would happen if my emotions trumped yours. Or worse, if that happened...what would happen to you…_"

"_Summer?_"

"_No, it's nothing to worry about, I promise._"

Azura frowned. "_If you say so, I'll trust you._"

Summer didn't respond, and the elevator doors opened soon after. Azura stepped out into the lobby of the tower, moving over to Ruby once he spotted her.

"Heya, again. You didn't need to wait for me, you know." Azura said.

Ruby shook her head. "I wanted to. I thought we could talk before heading back."

"Of course. I know a few private places."

Azura walked off, Ruby at his side. Once they were outside, and he noticed that the rain had let up, he quickly brought her over towards the private gardens, and over to the gazebo that was in the middle of it all. They sat down at the table within, opposite of each other, the smell of fresh rain starting to assault their senses.

Azura looked around, not seeing anyone, then spoke. "What did you want to talk about, Ruby?"

Ruby looked down at her lap. "It's about last night."

Azura frowned. "With the CCT?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. It's just...all those dead people…"

Azura paused for a moment. "Oh." He sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"It's not just that. Those women...they are very bad people. And I failed to catch them." Ruby said, sounding defeated.

Azura shook his head. "We both failed, Ruby. But, we have not lost. We helped Ozpin with that information, you know. Not to mention what we've managed to find in our own investigations. Even made sure one of those mechs went down."

Ruby shook her head. "People have still died. I'm not that stupid, you know…"

"Ruby...we can't be perfect."

"I know. I wish that I could be, though. Mom would be." She responded, looking down.

Azura had no words for how to respond to that. Neither did Summer if the gasp of shock meant anything. As the silence continued, Azura looked down at his hands, instinctively following Summer's shadow movements.

The sound of sniffling broke the silence, and Azura snapped his head up to see Ruby crying.

"Why can't I save anyone…?" She asked, her voice choked up and full of emotion.

Azura nearly knocked his chair over to get over to Ruby's side, where he placed his hand on her shoulder. Though, Ruby dragged herself up and hugged him with a short sob. He frowned, but brought her closer.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby." He whispered. "You are too young to be faced with such issues."

"_You're all too young for this. But this world does not allow that._" Summer said quietly. "_I will not allow anything more to hurt you, my little rose._" Her voice grew more defensive. "_The same goes for you and Yang, Azura._"

Azura simply sighed, looking out of the gazebo. For once in his life, he found that he hated the way the world treated people. The way it treated his friends. It was too cruel for anyone.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They turned down the hall that led to their dorms much later than either of them had originally thought. Azura glanced down at the silent Ruby with worry. Her eyes were still tinged red from crying, but she was much more composed than earlier. As they came closer to the doors leading to their teams, Ruby stopped and closed her eyes. Azura stopped a step later, turning his head to look at her and seeing her taking a few breaths.

He waited for her to open her eyes again before speaking. "We could always just wait longer, you know. We don't have to do this now."

Ruby leaned on the wall with a shoulder, examining it from the side. "I'm just making sure I'm ready, that's all."

Azura nodded, leaning on the wall fully and watching the wall opposite of them. "Then you do what you need to. I'll just wait here."

A few moments go by, then Ruby spoke again. "Sorry about before. I was feeling overwhelmed, like I was getting pushed into a corner. Ironwood's words...on top of my own thoughts…" She trailed off, looking distant.

Azura slid along the wall to be a bit closer to Ruby. "Your own thoughts?" Ruby remained silent, so Azura moved on. "Well, either way, disregard what Ironwood said. He's just being a dummy."

Ruby smiled slightly. "Did...you just call the Atlas General a dummy?"

Azura smiled back. "Of course I did! He's the biggest dummy I know, probably wouldn't compare to our very own weapon prodigy, now would he?"

Ruby's smile grew, a small blush of embarrassment on her face. "That's not true…"

"I bet if I hit him in the head, we would hear the echoes from a hollow skull!" Azura continued, waving his arms as if to prove his point.

Ruby laughed, doubling over while doing so. Azura glanced at her from his position, a smile on his face.

"_Mission accomplished._"

"_Thank you, Azura._" Summer said, warmth and amusement in her voice.

"That's mean, Azura!" Ruby said, slightly laughing now.

Azura chuckled, speaking jokingly. "And no less true. I'm just a steel person, you know?"

Ruby laughed again, but still moved forward. "Come on, you amusing amuser."

Azura rolled his eyes at the nickname, but pushed off of the wall to join her. "I'm still joining you in your team's dorm, right?"

"Right-o. I doubt they'd let you just leave without getting your side of the conversation. Or rather, Weiss won't." Ruby replied.

"Weiss won't?"

Ruby stopped just at the door, placing a hand on it. "Don't you worry about it. She made me promise." She winked, then opened the door before Azura could respond.

Azura shook his head to shake his mind of any questions that came up, then came to enter the dorm. Just as he stepped in, the door closed with a moderate slam, and both him and Ruby were pressed in by Yang and Weiss.

"How'd it go?" Weiss asked hurriedly.

"Did they grill ya too hard?" Yang asked, grabbing Ruby's cheeks and looking into her eyes.

Ruby quickly sped out of her grip, keeping her gaze a bit low. "No, it wasn't too bad. They wanted Azura to stay after though, when I was asked to leave."

Weiss gave him a sharp glance, though he quickly spoke after Ruby to move on. "Either way, don't you guys want to know what we talked about? Cause you guys still don't know what happened in the office or last night, for that matter."

"True, true." Yang said, backing off and dragging Weiss with her. Weiss sat down on her bed, while Yang sat down on her own, Blake next to her, who had a book to her side.

Azura walked forward, leaning on the desk in front of the window, while Ruby sat down in the chair at the desk.

"So, how'd things go?" Blake asked, curious.

"It went fine. They just wanted us to tell them what we saw." Ruby said.

Azura nodded. "Basically, how we got there, what made us go there, who we fought, that stuff."

Weiss tilted her head. "That's it?"

Azura shrugs. "Yeah. I don't see why they would ask for more than our side of things. I mean, what'd you expect?"

Weiss looked away. "Nothing, I suppose."

Blake coughed to gain their attention, then spoke. "Speaking of, what even happened up there? Neither of you have said anything yet."

Azura glanced down at Ruby, who looked at him. He tilted his head, then nodded to Blake and raised an eyebrow, as if asking a question. Ruby tilted her own head, then smiled and nodded.

Azura nodded in return, then looked at Blake and Yang. "Well, there were several Atlas guards there that had been killed…"

He was cut off by yang's and Blake's surprised faces, but more so by Weiss's gasp. He turned to her, looking at her frowning face.

"Carry on." Weiss said, waving a hand.

Azura frowned, but continued anyways. "Well, by the time we got up to the top, something was clearly wrong."

"Well, beyond the dead guards." Ruby said darkly.

Azura places a hand on Ruby's shoulder, glancing to see Yang's worried frown. He sighed, then spoke again. "Yes, beyond that. They clearly did something in the CCT, though I'm...not really sure what for. My thoughts go towards the possibility that they wanted information."

"Hm...possible. They could be tied to the White Fang as well, if they used the CCT for info on the Atlas Paladins." Weiss said, thinking aloud.

"So, who's this they?" Yang asked.

"Two women, wearing suits and masks to cover everything but their hair. So, the only traits we knew was how they fought and their black hair." Ruby said. "And they both fought with black glass-looking weapons, though only one of them created the weapons they used. A spear user and a dual swords user."

"Though, it's possible that making any kind of weapon is able to be done, so you never know if they can use multiple weapons. Kind of like me with a decent amount of bladed weapons, though mainly swords and daggers. Pistols too. Or Weiss with her use of dust."

"_And technically what I am proficient in as well. Which is...well, let's say, that while I prefer my daggers, was diverse._" Summer said.

Blake brought a hand to her chin. "So, that sounds like the woman that Ruby told us about. Though, there was two this time? Did the other one show any different use of what might be a semblance?"

Azura shook his head. "Nothing, but they both used fire dust easily enough. I doubt that means much of anything, though. The weapon itself could use fire dust."

Blake nods. "That's true. So, were at a bit of a lost, aren't we?"

Weiss sighs. "That we are. Not much we can do at the moment, outside of hoping that we somehow manage to get a way to investigate the southeast district of Vale."

Yang laid back, sighing loudly. "Well, that sucks. We do have those first year missions coming up soon, though, don't we?"

"Yes, we do. But how likely is it that we get the mission we want?" Weiss asked.

That caused a bout of silence among the five of them, before Azura spoke again. "Well, more like how will you four get the mission you want. I'm likely to go with team Juniper and Pyra."

Ruby looked up at him, surprised. "Oh...right." She smiled awkwardly, laughing quietly. "I'll admit...I didn't think of that."

Weiss frowned. "Did you not mention something about how you or Pyra could be put on another team? Maybe we could convince Ozpin to have you brought along with us."

Yang laughed. "Why do ya want Azura to come, Weiss Cream?"

Blake and Ruby smiled, glancing at Weiss.

"Hey, he would be a good addition to our team!" Weiss defended, crossing his arms. "Anyways, can we move back to the topic at hand?" She looked at Azura hopefully. "How did the two women fight? Anything specific?"

Azura smiled, deciding to indulge her. "Well, they were clearly good at close range combat. I mean, I didn't have my weapons, and Ruby didn't go too far away in combat."

Yang chuckled. "Held your own because of me tossing you around?"

"What would I do without you?" Azura said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, they had a somewhat defensive fighting nature. They blocked and dodged first, then counterattacked. They only double downed on it once me and Ruby started Petal Swapping."

"Wait, you two actually did that?" Weiss asked, surprised.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, we did! And it worked pretty well, if you ask me!"

Azura smiled as well. "I have to agree with that."

Blake smirked. "Well, looks like Ruby's track record of team attacks working is still one hundred percent."

"Of course it is!" Ruby whined. "And it will remain that way, I swear it!"

They all laughed for a few moments, while Ruby put on a mocking pout. They quieted down, smiling at each other, and Weiss spoke.

"We...should keep this between the five of us. It'd be better that way."

"Agreed." Blake said.

"Makes sense to me, I suppose." Yang said, shrugging.

Ruby nodded. "It's safer, even if I think team Juniper could help out."

"I mean...it feels wrong, for me, personally." Azura said, looking at the ground. "I promised that I wouldn't keep big secrets from them anymore."

"I understand what you mean, Azura, but think about it. If they are in it with us, then we'll have way too many people...no secrecy about it at all." Weiss said, trying to appeal to his logic.

Azura frowned. "I understand that, but still." He shook his head. "It just feels wrong to me, is all."

"I'm sorry, Azura." Ruby said sadly.

Azura shrugged. "Not much that can be done about it." He smiled, feeling a little down despite it. "Don't worry about me, my lips are sealed."

Promise or not, he couldn't just back out of what team RWBY have included him into. It would feel even more wrong compared to breaking that promise he made.

"_The lesser of two evils. We've been taking quite a few of those, haven't we?_" Summer said with a quick laugh.

"_We have been doing that, yeah._" Azura agreed. "_But, hey, what's life without a little risk?_"

Summer chuckled, but Ruby spoke up first.

"That's good, I guess."

She seemed a little unsure of herself, as silence came upon the dorm again.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura laid on the ground in silence, his legs hanging off of the cliff overlooking Vale. He was looking up at the clear night sky, glad that the rain hadn't come back. The stars glittered as he looked up at them, and he felt a sense of peace come from Summer. The brightness of the stars reminded him of home, which was nice.

"Azura?"

Azura looked to his sides, seeing no one, then sat up and turned to look back to see who had called his name. A redhead was looking at him, her green eyes unblinking.

"Oh, Penny. Hello." Azura responded.

Penny tilted her head. "What are you doing?"

Azura shrugged. "Thinking, stargazing."

"Stargazing." Penny said, simply. "Stargazing?"

"Looking at the stars, Penny." Azura said, a smile on his face. "Wanna join me?"

"I don't know...I was told to stay away from the people from the docks."

Azura frowned. "Who told you that?"

Penny looked away. "Important people."

"Well, I won't force you. But I personally think you'd like stargazing." Azura said, turning back around and looking up. "You seem like someone who would love nature."

"Oh…" Penny said quietly, trailing off.

Penny sat down next to him, copying his action of hanging his legs off of the edge. She smiled as she looked out over the cliff towards the glowing lights of Vale. "It's so pretty."

Azura chuckled, laying back down and pointing to the sky. "I agree with you, but look to the stars."

Penny looked over at him, her head tilted. A moment later, she laid down on her back and looked at the night sky. "Wow...it's so, so beautiful."

Azura smiled. "It really is. The moon might be pretty, but the stars are even better, if you want my opinion."

"They are both really pretty, if you ask me. I like how natural they are. Makes me feel more human." Penny replied.

Azura glanced over to her form. "More...human?"

Penny didn't move as she responded. "It's nothing. Just some silly words."

Azura hummed. "I see." He remained silent for a few moments. "Well, I think you're pretty human, if that helps. You remind me of Nora, actually. One of my teammates."

Penny turned her head at Azura as he keeps his gaze to the night sky. "I do?"

"I don't see why not. You're both rather joyful and enthusiastic, and you both have a more serious side under all things, even if you both enjoy being as happy as you two are."

Penny smiled, turning to look back at the sky. "Thanks, Azura. I think I needed to hear that."

"Of course, Penny." Azura replied.

The night sky seemed a little brighter and prettier to Azura after that moment.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**So...yeah. I know it's technically a day later, but I wanted to quickly say something. Yesterday, on February 1st, 2020, it has been five years since Monty Oum's passing. I started watching RWBY just before Volume 4 aired, so he had already passed, but I have some words to say.**

**I really appreciate and love the world that he created. Such an ambitious idea, and it really has turned out great. Sure, it has a few bumps here and there, but honestly, what doesn't? His creativity, both in the world of Remnant and the fight scenes he worked on, was astounding to me and I will always look back at Volumes 1-3 fondly, if only for the fights. He really inspires me to keep improving my weak points in my writing, and while it isn't nearly the same as animating and other things, how I write fight scenes in stories.**

**While I have been frustrated with certain aspects of Volumes 4-7, I cannot say that Rooster Teeth's animation team and their writers haven't been trying to keep RWBY as amazing as they can make it. Volume 6 was a great step in the right direction in my opinion, both animation, and thematically writing wise. And Volume 7 takes it even further, and has been such a fantastic Volume in my opinion.**

**Long story short, I am really grateful for Monty's wonderful and creative mind. He's been such an inspiration, and Rooster Teeth has shown how far they are willing to go to make sure RWBY is at its best. Volume 7 has really shown that they have found an excellent middle ground, even if I agree that some problems still exist in it. But hey, if I wanted perfection, I'd be constantly disappointed. Anyways, I'll wrap it up here.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	29. Bigger Motions

**This chapter was kind of awkward to write up, since my wifi was in and out the past few days. I wasn't ever really sure if anything was saved, but here I am with it. So, it's great that I never had to rewrite any parts.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 29: Bigger Motions**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 6th**

**Friday**

**Clear**

Azura had been thinking about Penny's words from that night while in the library, wondering why she seemed so surprised and even happy that he compared her to Nora, when he got dragged from his thoughts.

"Azura."

He looked up from staring at the desk and saw Blake standing there, looking at him. "Oh, hey. What's up, Blake?"

"Well...I have a lead." She said quietly, leaning forward to whisper. "On the White Fang."

Azura scanned the library, sending Luna to keep an eye on the area, before motioning for Blake to sit down next to him and whispering back. "What kind of lead? Nothing dangerous for you, right?"

Blake frowned, shaking her head. "No, not as far as I know. But that's why I came to you."

"Came to me?" Azura asked. "What about Yang? Or your team, for that matter?"

"I know you can at least sneak around." Blake explained. "Yang and weiss can't, and I doubt Ruby is that good at stealth."

Azura shook his head. "Right. Well, what's the big lead you're talking about?"

Blake glanced around the library for a few moments before turning back and quietly answering. "Some White Fang members that want out. I promised to help them if they gave information about their plans and why they are working out of the southeast."

"So, you want me to tag along just in case something happens and to sneak in or out?" Azura asked, thinking of her words. "And, if so...why are we being stealthy?"

"Yes." Blake responded. "As for the stealth...that's just a precaution. We'll be meeting them in a warehouse, and we need to make sure no one sees us come in or out if anyone else happens to be around."

"Hey, I like whispering too." A voice whispered behind them, arms hanging around their shoulders.

Azura and Blake jumped at the touch, turning to see Yang grinning with amusement.

"Yang, what are you doing here?" Blake said, surprised.

"Don't think I didn't see ya sneak off." Yang said, chuckling. "Besides, I didn't overhear too much between the two of you."

"Other than exactly what we are doing." Azura said, rolling his eyes.

"Yep." Yang replied.

Blake sighed. "Well, before you ask, you can't come. You...well, you're you."

Yang shrugged. "Figured as much when you said something about sneaking around."

Azura glanced at Blake. "And now that you know what we're doing, what are you going to do?"

Yang pulled one of her arms back to her pocket, pulling out a set of keys and dropping them in front of Azura. "Offer you Bumblebee, obviously."

"Er...what?" Blake said, blinking in confusion.

"I'm letting you two do your thing, duh." Yang said. "And cause I know Azura can drive it." She looked at him sharply. "I'm trusting you with my prized bike, Azura. You better not wreck it."

Azura licked his lips nervously. "Will do, ma'am."

Blake sighed. "I guess we have no reason to turn it down. Why are you trying to help, though? Didn't you want me to slow down...wasn't that the reason you talked to me?"

Yang nodded. "Yes, I did tell you that. But you're rested and clearly more stable on your feet. And you aren't doing something all alone. I wouldn't be a great partner if I couldn't trust you, would I?"

"Yeah…" Blake said, looking down.

Azura spoke up in a joking tone. "So, you're just giving us Bumblebee to use? No catches?"

Yang clicked her tongue a few times, as if ashamed of his words. "Now, that's just not nice, Azura!" She laughed a few moments later, growing serious. "I'm honestly just making sure you and Blake remain safe. Mama Yang has to make sure her little chicks can make it back home safely, you know."

Blake gave a small smile, staying silent, so Azura spoke again.

"Well, to answer for the two of us, thanks." He smiles. "For taking care of us, that is."

Yang grinned, pushing off of them. "Of course. I'll be sure to keep it quiet and away from Weiss and Ruby." She glances at Azura. "I really don't need to deal with a worried sister _and_ a frigid cold heiress, so try to come back in one piece, ya hear?"

"Of course." Blake said quietly, nodding.

Once Yang left, Blake sighed.

"That went better than expected for you, huh?" Azura asked, playing with Yang's keys in one hand, spinning them with his fingers.

"Yes. She was more hands-on and angry last time." Blake responded.

"It got you to dance, though. With her while me and Ruby were gone, if I had to guess." Azura teased.

Blake's light blush told him all he needed to know. He chuckled, standing up from his chair.

"Come on, Blake. Before I fry your brain anymore, we should get everything we need."

"Shut up." Blake groaned.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura was leaning on Bumblebee in the Beacon garages/workshop while waiting for Blake to return from what she had to grab. She had been gone for several minutes now, so he resorted to talking to Summer.

"_What do you think about this new escapade we're on?_"

"_I'm not sure. I feel...almost uncaring for it._" Summer replied slowly, then sighed. "_Sorry. I've just been thinking about a lot of stuff._"

Azura frowned. "_Anything that you want to talk about?_"

"_No, it's fine. It's just that I don't have much to do outside of viewing from your vision and your thoughts, stuff like that._" Summer said.

Azura sighed, but noticed Blake approaching him and Luna. He really wished he could talk to Summer about what was bothering her, and had to ignore the slight guilt mixed with gratitude from Summer once Blake got close and spoke.

"You ready?"

"As ready as you are, Blake." Azura responded.

Azura turned and got on Bumblebee, waiting for Blake to get on behind him and bring her arms around his stomach to get a good grip.

"Where am I driving?" Azura asked as Bumblebee started, the engine roaring to life.

"Towards the slums, near the docks. I'll tell you from there." Blake said.

Azura nodded. "Right. You got a good grip?"

"Yes. Let's get going."

Azura nodded again, then kicked off the ground and started driving off. The sound of the engine echoed off of the walls of the tunnel as they went, and they were quickly greeted by the fresh scenery and cool wind blowing at them. Azura smiled at the feeling, already feeling accustomed to driving Yang's bike. It was easy to see why Yang loved this thing.

The sun was already setting on Azura's left, and he flicked on Bumblebee's front light as a precaution before it got too dark. It seemed that they would be entering Vale as the the sun set, Azura thought to himself. The winding road was captured between a cliffside and a stone wall, with the cliffside being an open and rather beautiful scenery of the Emerald Forest in the background, and an open field below it. An airship was slowly flying down towards Vale, the slight shape of students being seen from a glance, and Azura focused fully on the road again.

They made it onto the roads that ended up leading directly into Vale after ten minutes, and he felt Blake tighten her grip a little, her hair whipping up slightly. He slowed up a bit to adjust with the slight traffic on the roads, but they were able to keep their progress. He took a right, and followed the roads from there, the smell of the docks filling his nostrils as they got closer.

He took another right turn, away from the docks. Just another corner and they found a small garage building, and Azura turned into it, finding the furthest parking spot in a shaded corner and parked it.

"What are we here for?" Blake asked as he turned the key and took them out, loosening her grip and leaning back.

Azura turned his head to her. "Nothing in specific, other than a safer spot to put Bumblebee. Plus, it's very close to the docks. Not too far from where we'll be, right?"

Blake looked around, then to her scroll for a moment. "No, it isn't. It's a small warehouse, so it'll be closer to the waterfront, but not that far of a walk to get here...or to run to."

Azura shook his head, taking in the surroundings. "We'll be fine, Blake. Unless it's not just those White Fang members who want to leave that will be there?"

"Only way that would be the case is in an ambush." Blake responded, getting off of Bumblebee. "Either way, I'll be the one talking."

Azura got off of the bike as well, stretching his legs. "You will?"

"Yes. I did agree to come alone." Blake responded, as if it was obvious.

Azura frowned. "Well, I'm glad you didn't decide to actually do that."

She smiled at that. "Well, want to know why I brought you?"

"Obviously. What am I doing while you talk?" He asked.

"While I talk to them, I want you to be on the second floor and going through the office. It's possible that something could be up there, and I need someone who can sneak to be up there." Blake explained, then pointed to the small warehouse on the right side. "That's the building we'll be in, and the police haven't actually gone through it, since it was considered a Huntsman investigation for a while."

Azura glanced at her. "Right. And am I looking for anything in particular?"

Blake tilted her head, keeping her eyes on the warehouse. "Any information that would help me to piece together how involved Torchwick is with the White Fang. If that's not seen anywhere, then maybe data or something on what they're doing in the southeast."

Azura smirked. "Then let's get going. Am I directly following you, or is there some easier way in?"

Blake nodded, walking off. "Well, I'd look for a different entrance. It's likely that you could make it to the roof and slip in from the top entrance or the catwalk."

Azura nodded in return, walking next to her. "Got it. Be safe in there, Blake."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course."

Azura jogged off to the right, moving along the fenced in area as Blake herself simply snuck through the entrance and moved within the shadows. As she made her way towards a door he could spot in the distance, Azura turned the corner and kept moving along the fence. He drew his hood up, and looked around him once before climbing over the fence, dropping down from one shadow to another.

He kept to the wall, looking for an easy way to make it up the warehouse to where Blake had assumed he could get in without notice. As he drew closer, a ladder was easy to see, and he picked up the pace to the edge of the crate that hid him. A few moments of looking out into the open space between where he was and the wall of the warehouse, and he semi-ran across after seeing no movement.

He stopped at the ladder, quickly climbing up it. He paused for a moment about halfway up to peek through a window besides the ladder, and he could see Blake speaking to someone, cautiously looking around. He could see a smaller group of White Fang members also talking to each other away from the main group. There seemed to be around twenty people total, not including Blake, in the warehouse, and around six of them were close to Blake and the woman talking to her.

This was a lot more dangerous than Blake had made it out to be. If any of them were caught speaking to Blake, they would easily be out-numbered. He was confident in Blake's ability to escape, but he also doubted she would leave the White Fang members who wanted out to whatever fate would befall them. He shook his head, moving past the window and up onto the roof of the building.

A door was to his right, and Azura walked up to it, slowly opening it. It barely creaked open, and Azura slipped in and shut the door behind him gently. He crouched down, creeping his way down the metal stairs, careful to not make much noise. He made it down to the metal scaffolding, just above most of the lights, when a voice yelled out.

"Come on, we don't have much longer to clear out this place. He wanted all traces of us in the docks gone, and he'll know if we don't."

Azura kept to the shadows, unable to really know who said it, but he was able to figure out that it came from the other side of the warehouse on the first floor, away from the small group that Blake was talking to. He frowned, still not liking just how dangerous the reality of this situation was. They were a breath away from getting caught if they misstepped. Blake better have had a good reason to do this outside of how she feels.

Azura made his way towards the side with Blake and where the office room was. As he slowly walked by, pieces of her conversation were caught by Azura.

"Safety...only for the info…" Blake's voice faintly said. "Southeast...Torchwick…"

Azura kept his snail's pace, staying as close to the darkest parts of the shadows as he could. Another voice could be heard, female. Likely the same one Blake had spoken to originally.

"Can't...here." There was a pause. "Take us...safety. Away…"

It clicked for Azura a moment later, though he kept moving despite his thoughts. So Blake promised them a way out for whatever info she needed. Likely the very same info that she asked him to look for. With that in mind, he made it to the office itself after several long moments of taking a peek to see everyone who could still possibly spot him distracted by Blake.

With that, he slipped through the open door into the dimly lit office. Papers were scattered throughout the room, but it didn't seem like much had been done in the room itself. He took note of the window on the wall facing out into the warehouse, deciding to stay crouched down as he looked throughout the room. Some desks were cluttered by each other, and Azura looked on them and through the drawers, not really seeing much outside of some notes and other such things. A map of the city of Vale here and there, as well as a larger map of the entire region on another desk.

He sighed quietly, looking through a pile of paperwork and scrapped sticky notes beside the desks. After he thought he would find nothing, he ended up seeing an envelope. He picked it up, noticing that it had something inside of it, and opened it. It had already been opened, which dampened his hopes, but he unfolded the paper inside anyways.

The sight he was greeted with was enough to make him grin. It was a letter from the master thief himself, Roman Torchwick, his signed name at the bottom an obvious give away. It wasn't even that long, just about a few sentences, but he nodded to himself and read it.

"Be sure to clean up real good. I want the places we've been at spotless, as if we were never here. Good guy Junior has kindly done his part already, so I want no mistakes. And remember, you're being watched by little miss volcano, so anyone who seems suspicious among the groups will be dealt with accordingly."

"What mess did you get into this time, Junior?" Azura whispered.

He continued his search, wondering if he would find anything else. Though the silence was interrupted by yells and screaming, and Azura looked up and moved to the window. Flames were roaring at the other end of the warehouse, and the sounds of small explosions went off, with more screaming joining it.

He looked down, seeing Blake having the fight the very same group she had been trying to help.

"Damn it!" He cursed, running out of the office.

He drew his dagger, shooting out lightning dust shots towards the group, and shocking two of them. As Blake spun around and snapped her foot right into one of their faces, Azura shot ice dust at the one that was trying to hit her as she attacked another, and the man tripped and fell onto the ground.

Boxes were falling down all over the place on the main floor of the warehouse, the hungry flames licking as it slowly made its way towards them. He saw that the entrances were also seemingly blocked, the one near Blake covered by flames. He saw some White Fang members at the other door, having no luck with opening it. A set of boxes crashed down near them, and Azura yelled out.

"Blake! Blake!"

Blake looked to him, and he waved an arm wildly. "We have to go out from up here!"

She raced forward, and gambol shroud shot out, the black ribbon shooting up and over the small wall that blocked Azura from sight before. He grabbed it, pulling back while slamming a foot on the small wall and pulling. Blake quickly appeared above him, landing with a crouch and placing her hands on the ground.

The ribbon slipped from his grip as she quickly brought it back. She grabbed his wrist, running without a word. Azura let it happen, simply running with her. They sprinted up the stairs, Blake bracing a shoulder and slamming the door open. Flames were still crackling outside, and sirens could be heard in the distance.

"We have to go!" Blake said loudly.

She let go of Azura's wrist, running forward across the roof. She called out again as they raced along the roof.

"Just jump and brace your aura!"

Azura saw her jump from the roof, joining after her a moment later. He brought his arms in front of his face, his orange aura coming up as he fell. He landed and rolled a few times, grunting. He scrambled up, barely behind Blake as she went off running. He glanced back as he ran forward, seeing no one coming out of the warehouse as it burned. Sparing no second thought about it right now, Azura kept running as the sirens started to grow closer, making it past the fence line and across the empty and dark street to where Bumblebee waited for them.

He grabbed the keys from his pocket, using Summer's semblance to shoot past Blake and next to the bike, quickly jumping on and turning the key into the ignition. Blake sat down behind him, gripping tightly.

"Just get us out of here!"

Azura obliged, the engine roaring to life with as the light came on, and let his driving take over. They quickly turned onto the road, turning left and racing down the road. He was just glad it was empty, but the sirens closing in were not good. He revved the engine, the extra speed making Bumblebee's engine almost purr, and turned down a road and away from the docks.

To the side, on another road that could be seen through the alleyways, a firetruck and some police cars raced by. Azura ignored them to keep speeding down the road, taking several more turns to create as much distance from the docks as possible. The sirens started to fade after another minute, and Azura started to slow up as other cars and more people were around. A few minutes after that, Azura pulled over to the side and into a parking lot that seemed to be next to a mall.

He turned the key and Bumblebee turned off. He leaned the bike slightly to the side, placing a foot down, sighing heavily.

"What...was that? What happened in that warehouse?" He asked aloud, not really talking to anyone.

Blake leaned back, running her hands over her face and through her hair. Several moments passed by in silence before she spoke. "Something bad...something very bad."

"Yeah." Azura said, looking down. "Those people...the White Fang members...do you think they got out?"

"...No." Blake responded quietly.

Azura grimaced, not wanting to agree.

"_Something about it all seemed...wrong, didn't it?_" Summer asked.

Azura nodded. "True." He turned his head, speaking to Blake. "Blake, will you be okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine." Blake replied.

Azura gave her a few moments before speaking again. "Summer says something was off about it all. Did you notice anything?"

Blake frowned, thinking. "Not until the fire started. They weren't handling dangerous things, such as dust or anything...so a fire of that magnitude starting is suspicious. The explosions were even more suspicious...small as they were. Those were from fire dust for sure."

"And the entrances were barred or blocked…" Azura added, trailing off as he thought on it.

"Did you find anything worthwhile, at least?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. A letter from Torchwick." Azura said. "It has a set of orders to clean out places, erase any traces. Junior was involved, supposedly."

"Anything else?"

Azura frowned, recalling one last detail. "Suspicious members are being 'dealt with', as it was put. Oddly specific, you think?"

Blake nodded, some energy coming back to her. "Yes. Let's talk to Junior, then."

Azura nodded in agreement, turning Bumblebee back on without a word.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

They pulled up and parked on the side of the road, getting off. They quickly walked towards the entrance to Junior's club, and Azura nodded to the bouncer who was outside. The bouncer was quick to step to the side and eye him warily as he walked by, and through the entrance.

Summer murmured something that Azura couldn't hear over the noise of the music as they entered the club itself.

"They always let you in, at this point?" Blake asked from behind him.

Azura shrugged. "Well, when you're known as 'Yang's friend', you seem to get some easy access to this place."

"Convenient." Blake said sarcastically.

As they walked through the club, stepping around people who were lingering off of the dance floor, he could see Junior look at them from behind the bar. Azura bumped into someone, muttering an apology, and finally made it through the small crowd and over to the bar. Two people were to his left, sitting in chairs, talking to each other while holding drinks. Azura made sure to keep a few seats in between the two of them.

"Well, no need for the small talk, I can tell." Junior said, glancing at Azura and Blake. "You two look like you just ran from danger. You smell of fish and fire."

"_Something like that._" Summer commented.

"Well, yeah. But, you know me. Or, I mean, you know Yang and Yang knows me." Azura responded, smiling tiredly.

Junior grunted, putting a bottle he had in hand away. "Get on with it, then. What do ya need?" 

"We need a place to start." Azura said, leaning an arm on the bar as Blake watched from behind.

He felt Luna place a hand on his shoulder, as if trying to remind him of something. He turned his head to her, his eyes widening at the envelope in her hand. He took it swiftly, making sure no one saw the envelope that would look like it was floating, then turned to Junior.

The man was looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "What's that you got there, the source of your desire to have some 'place to start'?"

Azura frowned, holding it out to him. "You'll know why we came here, at least."

Junior took it cautiously, opening it and taking the letter out. He glanced around, opening it after a few moments. He frowned deeply, looking at Azura, then looking over to Blake, whispering to himself. "Smelling of the docks...fire...I see." His frown seemed to deepen further. "One moment."

He sighed, holding a finger to his ear, where a communications device could be seen.

"Terry, you're taking over for now. Get to the bar." He put his hand down, looking at Azura again. "You two, come with me. I can't exactly not tell you if you've seen this."

He moved to the side, stepping out of the bar. Azura moved to join him, Blake shortly behind Azura, and Junior nodded and started to move off. They swiftly walked along the wall, until Junior stopped and opened a door, walking through it. Azura and Blake stepped through the door as well, and the familiar back halls entered their vision.

"_Two for three on being back here because of something related to death._" Summer said darkly.

Azura did wish he could argue against that, but he couldn't. Simply following Junior as they turned another corner, they eventually entered another room, an office. It was simple and not at all like what the club itself looked like. It had dark blue walls, and a painting of a suited man was on the left wall, a cold expression on his face as he held a glass of wine in his hand. It looked like an older version of Junior to Azura, and it kind of creeped him out.

"Wait here." Junior said, stepping behind a desk.

He opened up a drawer, and the shuffling of papers could be heard. Azura glanced around the office again, seeing stacks of paper and a screen on the wall in front of him, and not much else. Luna was reading the tops of the stacks of paper one by one, while Blake studied Junior and his movements.

"You were at that warehouse, weren't you?" Junior asked. "The one that still had some White Fang members in it. Why?"

Azura looked at Blake, waiting to see if she would say anything. She frowned, but nodded and made to speak.

"We were following a lead on the White Fang. Some members wanted to get out and promised to give information on what they are doing and planning to do. Things went wrong...and we had to make our own escape."

Junior sighed, putting the letter he still had in hand away and taking out a small note. Closing the drawer, he walked up to Azura and Blake and showed it to them. The only thing it had was a symbol of the White Fang on it, and Blake gasped.

"A warning note...they're using those now…?" She said, almost shocked.

Junior nodded. "I run the risk of them coming here for talking, but it's nothing we wouldn't be able to handle." He sighed. "Anyone who dares to spread and leak information on the White Fang and their movements will have everything they love destroyed, is all I really know that happens."

"Wait, happens?" Azura asked.

"Correct. This isn't actually the first arson case Vale's had. Did the police or fire department even show up to that warehouse?" Junior asked.

"Yes, they started to show up once we got out." Blake answered.

Junior sighed heavily. "Of course they show up fast for that one."

Azura looked at Blake, who shrugged at him. Neither of them knew much of the workings of Vale, it seemed.

"_And I'm likely a bit outdated on it._" Summer said, making that count three.

"Did they not show up to the others? Fast, that is." Azura asked.

"No, not until after. Those are in the less financed areas, and the police rarely patrol there, let alone take it seriously. And the fire department is all over the place, and it somehow takes them too long to get there." Junior said, anger in his voice.

Azura frowned. "You've kept track of these cases?"

Junior breathed out, calming himself, and nodded. "Yes, I have. My men have been on the lookout for this stuff, and luckily without much incident." He coughed. "Anyways, there have been four other cases before tonight. And I haven't seen a single one reported on at all."

Blake frowned. "But...how?"

"Only guess would be because of where they happened. If they report on the arson from tonight, then I would say that it's true." Junior responded. "I'd keep a close eye on the lesser financed areas, since White Fang activity has been coming from there in small bursts, as well as the arsons themselves."

Blake sighed, looking more tired than she already seemed. "Right."

Junior turned away and slowly walked to his desk and placed the note with the symbol on it down. Without looking at them, Junior spoke. "Further down the hall to the right and around the corner, there's a small bathroom with a shower. I suggest you two clean up before heading back to, since you're students, Beacon. Get the smell off you."

Azura looked at Blake, smiling at her upon seeing her distrusting look. She relaxed slightly, and Azura turned back to Junior. "Stay safe, Junior. Tell Melanie and Militia the same, as well. Thanks for your help today."

Junior nodded, and Azura and Blake left his office. Azura sighed, looking at Blake.

"We should accept the hospitality. We'll only draw attention to what we were doing to our teams if we don't." Azura said.

"Right." Blake said in response.

They walked through the hall and around the corner they were told about, and a door could be seen at the end of it. As they drew near it, Blake paused, bringing her feet close together, and spoke.

"Azura."

The boy paused, looking at her, and waited for her to continue.

"I'm sorry. For all of the death and terribleness that the White Fang is causing." She said, heavy emotion hinted throughout her words. "You don't deserve to have seen such darkness. None of you guys deserved it."

Azura felt his heart clench from her words, and it grew worse as he thought of Ruby crying in that gazebo. He wondered if that moment would ever be brought up again, but shook his head to clear his head.

"Blake…" He softly replied, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, don't talk." She said, silencing him. They stood in silence for a few seconds, then she spoke again. "Just give me some time to think, please."

Azura frowned, worried. "Okay…" He sighed. "Just go and shower. I'll be out here waiting."

Blake nodded, striding forward and entering the bathroom. She spared him one last glance, then closed the door. Azura leaned on the wall, running a hand down his face.

"_She came from the White Fang, so it must be...confusing for her. Hurtful, even. To see them like this._" Summer said softly. "_I pity her...the poor girl._"

Azura didn't respond, simply closing his eyes and letting the sound of the running water fill the silence.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The rumbling of Bumblebee's engine and the wheels on the road was the only noise on the somber trip back to Beacon. Azura simply focused on driving, trying to not think about the night, lest he get distracted, but it was hard to ignore Blake's tight grip. Not that he blamed her.

The moon was the only other light on the road, raised high to their side, framed by the stars that hung around it. It reminded him to talk to Penny at some point, maybe invite her to stargaze again since she seemed to like it. He turned with the bend, seeing the tunnel leading to the Beacon garage grow in the distance, and he smiled to himself. Something about knowing that the school was there just made him feel happy.

"Azura, pull over."

He was surprised to hear Blake talk at all, but slowed down and pulled over to an pull off area of the road when he could, the dirt kicking up. He kicked the bike stand down, keeping the bike on, and watched Blake slide off and walk to the edge of the cliffside. He got off as well, moving to stand just behind Blake.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Blake looked up at the sky. "Just a thought that's been bugging me recently."

"About the White Fang?"

She nodded. " I just...I think I was avoiding the idea that the White Fang are worse than I hoped." She sighed heavily, placing a hand on her waist and shifting her weight. "I had this hopeful idea that they weren't more violent than before I fled them and came to Beacon."

Azura moved forward again, standing next to Blake and looking at her. "And now?"

Blake frowned. "I'm worried. And afraid." She glanced at Azura from the side. "Some of my family are tied to the White Fang, Azura. Retired before the peaceful protests ended, but still tied to them. What if they are forced into this violence?"

"Oh." Azura said softly. "Then, we need to do something about that."

"Azura?" Blake asked, curious.

He crossed his hands behind his head, looking out across the dark fields that the airships flew above. "Well, if you are worried and afraid for your family, then we should do what we can to help them." He nodded, as if affirming it for himself. "And, it just doesn't sit right with me to stand by while they get more and more radical."

"I agree." Blake said. "I do not think I can blindly defend them anymore. It hurts me to know that they have gone to such drastic measures."

"Well, how about it, Miss Belladonna? Where shall we begin?" Azura asked, growing serious.

Blake looked down, closing her eyes. "The arsons. I think we'll find some answers there."

"Right. Will we tell Ruby, Weiss, and Yang about this?"

Blake shook her head. "We will, soon. But not right now, please."

Azura nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you." Blake said, turning to face him. "For offering your help, Azura. But let's just keep it small, and not family-saving, okay?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, okay."

Blake breathed in deeply, exhaling a moment later. "Let's get back. Can't keep our poor teams waiting too long now, can we?"

Azura shook his head, amused, and made his way back to Bumblebee. "True enough."

Sitting back on it and feeling Blake sit behind him, Azura kicked Bumblebee's stand up and started driving back onto the road towards Beacon again. They had work to do, and Azura knew Blake wouldn't stop until she got it done.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**So, I actually have something to discuss here. A pretty long review was put up on this story by Sinastra, and I felt like I should respond to it.**

**However if you would rather just not read it, you can stop here. I'd completely understand, because I want it to be detailed and that means it will go on for a while. Have a nice day/evening! Chapter 30 will be getting worked on very soon. :)**

**Response to the review by Sinastra below (Apologies for the super long (Just about 4 pages) response, I had a lot to say ;-;):**

**First of all, thanks for giving the write up on Azura, or rather, Azura's "strengths and weaknesses". It's wonderful to me that you took your time to write it up, making me look back upon the story and Azura's involvement within it. I really do appreciate the fact that you went out of your way to give reasons for why you think and feel that Azura is super weak and, to you, lacks individuality in a fighting sense (Which, kinda sorta depends on how one views the idea of fighting, but that's not what I'm here for). So, with that in mind, I have written a long response back that I hope you read with an open mind, as I'm trying to be with your review, since you are voicing your thoughts on it with (what I see as) constructive criticism. Anywho, I'm just going to go through this one piece at a time, so let's get going. (Yes, a TL;DR will exist, but it lacks the full context of what I think.)**

**I'm not actually sure why you say Azura is 'on the back foot' in every fight, but I hope you hear me out on my thoughts on all of this. He has lost fights, yes. He lost to Ruby the first time, which was due to the fact that Ruby is indeed a superior fighter, as well as having the speed and range advantage.**

**His next loss, which as far as I saw, was to Neo. I actually have a really reasonable reason for him to lose to her, that being the skill gap. Neo, as of Volume 2 of RWBY, took down V2 Yang with ease, and I can tell you with confidence that Yang has been one of the strongest fighters of team RWBY (in the canon) for a long while. Azura won't win a 1v1 against Yang unless he catches her off her game or somehow doesn't make her semblance hit back too hard.**

**And then there's Azura v. Weiss, the most recent spar of the story. Weiss has always had the potential to be the strongest and most powerful member of team RWBY, and I intend to keep in mind the fact that Weiss is crazy powerful if she used her kit and semblance to their fullest potential, depending on the aura cost per glyph, which I would assume to be pretty small given how much she uses them. I 100% agree that Weiss has her OP hacks, which is why he lost in the first place, really. He got greedy and tried to do something on low aura, Weiss punished it by using her glyphs nearly constantly.**

**He has, however, won against Blake in a spar. Though, yes, one could argue that was only because of a bit of luck and and a good use of trading aura. There was also his victory against Ruby, where he forced her to forfeit because she had no other way out, while he had her weapon against her. And the CCT fight, though you could argue that him being on the defensive and only attacking in unison with Ruby (with Petal Swap) was bad, did not end up with him beat up and losing. So, it's a bit unfair to say he has always lost and always been on the back foot, though I do agree that I have tended to keep him on the uphill battle against opponents who I believe would do better than him. I'll show you a little bit of how I have power-scaled the main cast (OCs included, for obvious reasons), which is based upon canon events and the level of training I have had them do within the story. (Keep in mind this is only going up to Volume 2 and as of Chapter 29 of the story)**

**Strongest on the list is Pyrrha Nikos herself. She is clearly the most trained and gifted member of JNPR and RWBY, and we have several examples in canon to show for that. Her semblance will always have a use, no matter how it is used, and considering the fact that she is nearly invincible and unable to be touched in battle, her semblance will often be up and ready to use. Her "individuality" in a fight is her semblance and natural skill.**

**Her runner up is Yang Xiao Long. As of Volume 2, she is a force to be reckoned with, and is able to rip a mech apart just from taking a hefty hit and sending it back through her semblance. She can basically win any 1v1, short of Pyrrha, and is known for her tenacity and will to keep the fight up. Her individuality in a fight is her brute force nature and crazy strong attacks mixed with momentum.**

**Weiss Schnee falls here for two reasons. She's clearly OP and nearly unstoppable if written that way, but with how canon events go, she falls short of Yang. Her greatest weakness has always been how she ends up fighting in her fight scenes, examples being her 1v1 on the train in V2, and the infamous V5 finale fight. However, the other reason she's #3 is because she is stupidly strong and I wish to keep it in mind. Weiss's individuality in a fight is her elegant fighting style and because time dilation glyphs DO exist, let's be real, she's OP.**

**Nora Valkyrie, queen of the castle, falls here for one reason and one reason alone. Brute power. She can, and will, easily match Yang's strength consistently. Not only that, but if she decided to carry lightning dust on her (Cough cough), she would actually be even more immensely and brutally powerful more than once. Her individuality in a fight is her immense body strength and actually her ability to outrange some melee fighters who rely on speed.**

**Ruby Rose is 5th here, but honestly, the top 5 are the people I consider the most likely to win against their opponent, so don't let this tell you that I think Ruby is weak. With full use of her semblance, she can engage in close range battle and be untouchable. Using her semblance to stay out of range, she had long-range advantage simply due to the sniper of Crescent Rose. Medium range is covered without her semblance because of how a scythe would be used, not similar, but like a spear. Ruby's individuality in a fight is directly based on her speed and quick use of a weapon bigger, and clearly heavier, than her, as well as her excellent use of momentum similar to Yang.**

**Pyra Sol lands here, mainly because of her semblance. She has mastered the fire portion of it before even coming to Beacon, and the lightning part (while I have only used it once, which is my fault) is something she's been working on outside of Azura's sight. However, her weakness against close range opponents will kill almost all of her chance of victory if she let's up with the range. Ruby or Yang would destroy her in a 1v1. The individuality that she possesses is based upon one reason, she's almost purely a ranged fighter, even more so than Ruby.**

**Blake Belladonna should technically be above Ruby and Pyra, but falls down here because of how, in a 1v1, she tends to actually fall off. Pair her with a close range fighter that she can combo with, however, and she's actually one of the best fighters in the show. (Bias aside, you cannot say Blake and Yang aren't one of the best duo fighters within the show.) Individuality of our cat Faunus here is from her unique weapon and the fact that she is the only one with a legit "get out of jail free" card as a semblance. She has a safeguard on top of speed, agility, and a knack for teamwork.**

**Azura Heart himself will actually be above Ren, but not because of combat capability or agility, or even because he specializes in dual wielding better than him. Yes, I agree with you, Azura's semblance relies upon ghosts being there, but the fact is that he would beat Ren in a 1v1 because of the fact that he is attached to Summer, and because of Luna existing as a separate entity. His entire purpose in a fight is to be the jack of all trades, master of none guy. And he's actually all the stronger for it. Considering his semblance, if he only focused on sword and gun training, he would be a great 1v1 fighter, but have horrible coordination and teamwork with others and Luna. And if he only focused on his semblance, he would be worthless as a fighter and not even be a Huntsman in the first place. He'll fight however he decides to and not be forced into a corner where he could potentially lose in rapid fashion because he can only fight in one manner (a la, Ruby having almost no training outside of Crescent Rose in canon RWBY). His individuality in a fight is the very fact that he is versatile and able to fight in several manners, and because his semblance actually allows him to call for aid on the outside, while also having Summer's capabilities and semblance (that yes, he borrowed, as I keep mentioning in the story itself).**

** Keep in mind that Azura's semblance (and this story, for that matter) was not built for the fighting and insane battle ideas. His semblance is an offensively supportive one, opposite to Jaune's defensively supportive semblance. Jaune's semblance helps others, Azura's semblance helps him. That doesn't mean Azura is physically weak (Sword fighting actually takes a lot of upper body strength and balance or that he isn't fast (Yes, Summer's semblance is "not his own", but does anyone really care if something was borrowed or stolen in a fight if it doesn't deny the fact that he is fast?). I haven't gone through the level of who has the most aura out of everyone, but I can confirm that it's not tanky (though his semblance and Summer's barely drains his aura either way). He excels in close range combat, even more so now with Summer's semblance, but that doesn't say much when the people around him are clearly more effective in that sense.**

** One more thing to say about him. Just because he doesn't stand out as an individual fighter at this moment, that does not mean he will always rely on others. Though, that's for me to keep in mind as the writer.**

**Lie Ren is placed 9th, but honestly, given he controls the battlefield, he could easily go against Nora and Weiss. However, given that his semblance is only good in a panicked situation or against Grimm, he gets knocked down several pegs. His skill in aura control and amazing agility paired with dual wielding and small firearm use easily make him one of the best 1v1 fighters in the show. His individuality comes from his excellent use of agility and ability to keep up the pace in most ranges outside of long range.**

**Poor poor Jaune Arc. Yes, I do agree that he is just "Jaune", the damsel in distress by this point in V2. However, he is not without merit. By this point in time, Jaune can kill a large Ursa (Proven within the last episode of V2), even if he does so with frenzied slashes. He is the definition of an underdog for sure, but that doesn't devalue his excellent tactical potential and leadership skills. His individuality comes from his wonderful mind and ability to keep a team flow going (despite canon events wanting him to seem...less than that.**

**TL;DR here!: Pyrrha, Yang, and Weiss are terrifying opponents who should never be underestimated. Azura, Ren, and Jaune can be considered the weakest, but Ren and Jaune have other traits that make up their weak points and Azura fights better when he uses everything at his disposal. Agree on how he may seem weak, but disagree that he does not have anything special to his fighting ability. (end of review)**

**Seriously, again, thank you so much for such a detailed review! Even if I disagree with a few things, it's good to have people talk about things and maybe how I as a writer could improve from things they feel might be bad or not that great. For example, look at CRWBY. They always receive criticism, and while it cannot always be addressed, they do put effort into improving things where they can. And the same could be said for me!**

**Your review made me look back upon the story and to carefully look at every fight I have written so far, and I believe that it is important to have this kind of back and forth in order for improvement to be made. That goes for anything, really. Without being told what is done wrong, can someone ever do right?**

**Anywho, I hope I didn't seem defensive of my character or overly critical of the points you brought up, since that was not my intention. Moving forward, I will be sure to keep an eye on if I am writing Azura under or above his current skill level. It's unfair to him and even unfair to his opponents if I do either of those.**


	30. Forward

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write, and came together really easily for me. It's quite a nice feeling, I must say.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 30: Forward**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 8th**

**Sunday**

**Cloudy**

"So, what am I looking at?" Azura asked, glancing up at Luna, who was looking at the map upside down. The library was mostly empty, so she had to entertain herself, Azura assumed.

Blake shifted the scroll into his hands, which he took, then drew an invisible circle above it as she leaned over him slightly. "This is the main area where the fires took place. I noted that they all seemed to occur within the same area, which already suggests the presence of a large group, but the fires were mostly contained here."

Azura nods, looking at the map she made. "All within this section of this part of Vale?"

"Yes. It seems that we were just super unlucky with what happened a few days ago." Blake answered, an expression of slight melancholy on her face for a moment. "Nonetheless, it wasn't hard to track this stuff down once I found some smaller news sources."

"It's good to know someone was, or else we would be on a wild goose chase."

"Yes, we would be." Blake said. "Which would make it even harder. But now, I have a complete list of all suspected arson cases in that area as well as what each building was. Though, we're only visiting the ones I suspect to have something we could use, since I can sort of guess how the White Fang function."

Azura tilted his head, scrolling the map with one finger as he listened to Blake talk. A moment later, he made his own comment. "Mostly industrial buildings...a warehouse...an abandoned factory...and a small apartment complex. Kinda reminds me…" He frowns, falling silent.

"What is it?" Blake asked, looking at the map for a moment in confusion.

Azura shakes his head. "It's just kind of close to Lu's orphanage, that's all. It's close to that district, I believe."

"Well, they should all be safe. I mean, whoever is doing it seems to be targeting places with evidence against them." Blake said, trying to stop him from worrying.

That certainly didn't stop Summer. "_Still kind of worryingly close for my liking._"

Azura nods, answering both of them. "Right." He handed the scroll back to Blake. "We should get going, then?"

Blake accepted the scroll back, a confident smile on her face. "Yes, we should."

They stood up, quickly exiting the library. The cloudy skies dampened the day, the sun hidden behind gray clouds. Once Azura noticed that they were walking to where the airships docked, he looked at Blake and asked the question on his mind.

"No Bumblebee this time?"

"Nope. Yang said she needed it today, though she never told me why." Blake replied, her eyes looking at the ground in thought.

Azura nudged her shoulder. "It's just Yang, you know. At worst, she's gone for some joyride, you know?"

His attempt at comforting Blake drew out a small smile, but not much else. "Thanks, Azura."

He smiled back, turning back to face where he was walking. There was an airship docked at the moment, and they made it onto it with plenty of time to spare.

Taking a seat on a bench along the walls, Blake sighed to herself. Azura glanced over, seeing her look at the map, and simply let her think of whatever was on her mind. He leaned back, watching people walk around or talk to their friends or sit on their scrolls, and relaxed.

"How's your team doing, Azura?" Blake asked.

Azura looked at her, surprised. "Uh...they're good." He continued after a few moments of collecting his thoughts, not having expected her to make conversation. "Jaune's really been improving as a fighter, according to Pyrrha. As far as I know, I've seen his body get more muscle and his exercise routine has been really great. Speaking of Pyrrha, she's been fine. Doing the things she always does, though she seems to be frustrated. Probably with Jaune, and she's too nice to tell him if she is."

"You should talk to her about that, I feel." Blake said.

"Me?" Azura asked, feeling the airship start to move again.

She shrugged. "Just an idea. What about the others?"

"Nora's been fun, though she has yet to realize that we've banned her from lightning dust for now. At least in the dorm, that is."

"I can imagine she's...well, Nora but mixed with sugar and coffee." Blake said.

Azura chuckled. "Something like that. So, until she gains some self-control, she only gets lightning dust if Jaune gives the okay."

"Jaune uses lightning dust?" Blake asked, confused.

"No, no. The poor guy is learning the simplistic sword and shield for now, which is fine." Azura said. "Pyra gave him a small supply from her own dust to use for Nora." He frowned, thinking of Pyra. "I'm worried about Pyra, actually."

"She has been a little out of sorts, I must say. A bit tired at all times and she's grown a bit quiet." Blake said.

He nodded. "Yeah. She's been having trouble sleeping as well, which worries all of us in the dorm, obviously. Though, she just says she's fine and doesn't want us to push the questions." He sighs. "Which just worries me more, since I always see her looking down at her hands, like she's trying to remember something."

Blake frowned. "Weird. I'm surprised Ruby hasn't tried to help in her own ways."

Azura shrugged. "Knowing Ruby, she _has _tried helping and we just haven't seen her attempts."

Blake rolled her eyes. "You have a point there, I suppose."

"Who else?" Azura asked himself. "Oh, Ren! He really does a lot for us, you know. Always there to lend Pyrrha a hand, trying endlessly to improve Jaune's aura control since he has so much, and his 'duties' to Nora. He's kept an eye on Pyra for me if I can't be there, such as today, and has been trying to get Pyra to try some of his methods to sort thoughts out, meditation and other things."

"Wow. He's keeping busy, then."

Azura laughed. "He really does. He's kind of the rock of our team, I would say." He shook his head a moment later, his laughter dying off. "And, how about the wonderful team Ruby?"

"Well, I'm personally doing okay, new ideals and thoughts put aside." Blake started. "And obviously busy with our investigations."

Azura nods. "That is true. It's been a good distraction, that's for sure."

"Yes, it truly has." Blake replied. "Weiss is the same old cranky Weiss, always finding something to nitpick. Just yesterday, she was grumbling about glyphs and a certain someone not showing up when he said he would."

Upon seeing her amused eyes turn to him, he coughed into his hand awkwardly. "I do have an excuse, to be fair."

That got a raised eyebrow from Blake. "Oh? And what excuse is that?"

"Well, I was…" He sighed, deciding to just say it. "I was looking for Penny most of the day. Though, after searching the campus, I kinda gave up and practiced the accuracy of that jump from Summer's semblance and trying to slow my fall."

She narrowed her eyes, moving her head towards him. "That...okay, I can understand the Penny part, sort of. You and Ruby did kinda promise that you were both her friends." She laughs slightly. "But then you promptly forgot to check in with Weiss to practice with Summer? Were you even doing it for training?"

Azura smiled sheepishly, letting it speak for itself. "Anywho, how about Yang?"

Blake rolled her eyes, letting it go. "Yang has been just fine ever since the dance. The girl got her dances, and though she laments missing out on some action that night, she's just kind of...reset back to when we first knew her?" She shrugs. "Something like that. Just Yang being Yang."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. She wouldn't be Yang if she didn't joke around and call herself 'Mama Yang'."

"As for her sister...she lives." Blake said, tilting her head as she thought about Ruby. "I mean, she's still a bit glum about the recent events and has some thoughts going on in that little head of hers, but she's acting like she usually does other than that."

Azura frowned, feeling Summer's full mental presence shift, as if waking up. "Is she feeling okay?"

"She's fine, Azura. I promise." Blake said. "Trust me, Yang's keeping an eye on her and making sure to spend a lot of time with her."

"Good to know." Azura responded.

"_Very good to know, yes._" Summer said.

"Well, we should be in Vale soon." Blake commented, looking out the window. "Why don't we review our plan one last time?"

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The first building they would investigate was the closest from the airship docks, a decently large storage warehouse. As they approached the location, walking down the rundown roads, signs of a fire could already be seen, if faded. From the entrance alone, Blake and Azura could see several burn marks and slightly melted metal walls around the building.

"What kind of fire could this have even been?" Azura asked aloud. "I'm no expert on fire, but would it just melt through metal so easily?"

Blake shrugged. "Not easily, no. But that also depends on the fire, I suppose." She looked to the dark clouds covering the landscape. "The warehouse we were at had fire dust, that's for sure. No fire is suddenly explosive, and my scouting of the building while in there showed no signs of explosive material."

"Right." Azura said. "Might as well go in and investigate. You think we'll find something?"

"It's possible, but unlikely." Blake responded, stepping forward beyond the entrance and into the building itself. "There are several locations with arsons, and for all we know, any evidence was truly burned out by the fire."

Azura hums in agreement, moving into the building as well. The rooms were dark, Azura noted, as his vision sharpened. "Thanks, Faunus traits. Though, being half-Faunus likely stunts the night vision for me." He finished jokingly.

"You'll be fine." Blake said. "And go find a way up to the second floor of this place. Two floors, one for both of us. Look for anything out of place in regards to the fire or the White Fang, and do be cautious."

"Right-o." Azura said, his voice echoing slightly as he entered a different room.

Most of the rooms were still charred and had broken and burned boxes around, but not much else. Azura entered another room, finding the stairs, and moving up to the second floor. The room it led to was almost identical to the one just below, full of broken and burned boxes, any materials that were in them destroyed.

Most of the rooms that followed were the same thing, though some rooms had shattered windows that let some light inside.

Azura stepped to a window, looking out and around. There was a small concrete opening that separated the storage warehouse from other buildings with a chain link fence after several meters.

"_I wonder if most of these buildings are actually just empty or abandoned...do so few people live out here?_" Azura thought to himself.

"_That is the likely case. Been that way for years, even before I came to Beacon._" Summer responded.

The dark skies did nothing to lighten the mood.

"_That's a shame._"

"_Yes, it is. Not much us Hunters and Huntresses can do, though. Not without being in a position like Ozpin._"

Azura stepped away from the window, making his way through the rooms again and back down the stairs. Looking around, he spotted Blake crouched down and touching a wall. When he approached, Blake turned to look at him, standing up.

"Did you find anything?"

Azura shook his head. "Nothing notable. How about you?"

"Outside of weird patterns in the fire, no." Blake said, walking off towards the entrance again.

"Weird patterns? What do you mean?" Azura asked as he followed.

"It's just weird. The soot on the walls makes it seem like...the fire was alive?" Blake said, as if confused by her own words. "For now, I'm writing it off as just an odd occurrence."

As they stepped into the light again, Blake sighed and paused, looking at her scroll. "Next location isn't too far. Just a few streets over."

Azura nods, walking forward to take the lead after seeing the map on Blake's scroll. "Okay. And this place is what? A third warehouse?"

They stepped onto the street again as Blake responded. "No, as surprising as that might be. It's an apartment, made for a family size. Close enough for it to merit a look, since it was also subject to a fire."

"An apartment, huh?" Azura said, putting a hand to his chin, thinking. "It makes sense. Not every White Fang member is directly involved with their actions, you know."

"I doubt that was the case here. I'm confident that every fire that happened in this area weren't accidents." Blake responded.

They turned a corner, and Azura turned to look at her. "What's made you so sure of that, again?"

"Keeping secrets safe has always been a priority of the White Fang." She responded bluntly.

Azura frowned, but didn't respond. As they turned down another street, the burned apartment building now in sight, Blake spoke again.

"Hopefully this one will show some clue for what's going on."

Aura nodded. "What are you hoping to find? Outside of a clue for who did this or what's making them happen, that is."

Blake shrugged. "If I could have my way, an easy way to figure out exactly where they are in the southeast would be great. But I'm settling for what can possibly be found in the aftermath of the fires."

"I guess that's the silver lining to the lack of proper care in these areas of Vale." Azura said.

"Yeah, I guess it would be." Blake replied quietly.

Crossing over another street, they finally made it to the apartment they were heading for. Looking it over, the walls looked weak and horribly burned, but it still stood. It seemed rather small, and had no second floor, and Azura had to question just how safe this was.

"This building looks like it'll collapse any second now. You sure we should even enter it?" Azura commented, turning to Blake.

She frowned, looking at the building. "We'll have to be quick, then." 

"And cautious, I suppose." He said after her.

"Let's get inside." Blake responded simply.

The door creaked and felt loose in Azura's hands as he opened it, and he gently kept it open, careful to not have it fall over.

"_Better safe than sorry._" Summer commented.

The room they entered was bland, though that was partially because of the damage that was caused by the fire, if Azura could guess. As Blake opened a closet within the room, Azura moved into what was the kitchen, looking at the soot that was all over the place. The room was filthy, and Azura stepped over the pile of fallen pots and pans, looking through the cupboards just to see if anything was hidden among them. Finding nothing, Azura stepped into another room, seeing it to be a dining room. A table that could fit four people was in the center, seeming to be the least damaged part of the entire building, though it was easy to see that flames had singed and burned the legs on them.

What caught his interest within the room was the staircase that led down in the corner, and Azura could see that most of the stairs were destroyed. Only because of his enhanced vision in the dark, Azura could see that the fire had raged down in the basement as well. He frowned, debating going down there.

"_If you do, we can jump back up. It's only ten to twelve feet, at my guess, so it's not an impossible feat for us._" Summer said.

He nodded, agreeing with Summer, and spoke. "Hey, Blake!"

"Yeah?" She called, sounding like she was still in the other room.

"There's a basement over here, no stairs. I'm gonna jump down and check it out."

A moment of silence was his answer before Blake spoke. "Do you need Gambol Shroud? Or can you handle getting out without?"

"I'll be fine, just wanted to warn you about what I was doing." He responded.

"Right. Be careful down there."

"You got it, boss."

He jumped down a moment later, crouching down and placing a hand on the ground to brace his fall. Getting up, he looked around the basement, seeing boxes and other things scattered around, as well as a bed in the corner. He kept along the walls, eventually finding a small room to the side, a broken down and destroyed washer and dryer within them. Burned clothing rested on the ground, and he took a few minutes to search among the clothing.

The only thing he ended up finding was that there was indeed a family that lived here. He sighed heavily, hanging his head.

"Too many lives lost already. Could it really get worse from here?" He said quietly.

"_It's better to not ask, Azura. Try not to linger on those thoughts._" Summer said to him coolly.

"Right." Azura said, standing up.

He stepped out of the small area within the basement and back into the center of it. He dug through bags and boxes, trying to find anything that could possibly clue them in the right direction. It wasn't until he found a burned and broken White Fang mask that he saw anything of interest. With it in hand, Azura moved to leave the basement, gauged the small distance back through the door, and jumped with rose petals fluttering down behind him.

He grabbed onto the wood that would have held a door in place, stabilizing his landing as he got back up. He saw that his hands were dirty, but shook it off, looking for Blake. She was in a bedroom, searching through the closet within it.

"Have you found anything yet?" Azura asked, looking down at her.

"No, nothing of importance. You?" She asked back.

"Not much, but it confirms that we're doing something right." He said, lifting the mask in his hand.

She moved out of the closet, looking at him, then at the mask itself. "A White Fang mask. Which means that we weren't caught up in some freak accident, even if the other fires can confirm that for us. There's something going on here, Azura."

"But what? We know that the White Fang are being extremely tight-lipped, but about what? And who is the one stopping deserters from talking?" Azura asked.

"I do not know. That's why we're looking, though." Blake said, taking the mask and examining it. She sighed a moment later, throwing the mask on the ground. "Well, a step in the right direction is fine enough. We can leave now."

Stepping through the door and out into the open air was a relief to Azura. He wasn't sure how Blake could stand the smell of ash and fire so well, or at least ignore it. He moved back onto the street, looking around.

"Where to next? There were a few more areas on your little map."

Blake pulled it up, looking it over. "Well, there's a factory nearby. Or rather, was."

"Was?" Azura asked, turning to her.

"It was abandoned. The only thing marking it as a factory is the building itself now."

"Well, let's go. All of these locations are rather close for my liking, but it's nice when you're walking everywhere." Azura said, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

"You commented on that before, in regards to the orphanage that elderly woman runs. Are you worried?" Blake asked as they started walking again.

"Yes, I am. Aurora is living in an area that, as far as I can see, is getting more and more dangerous." Azura responded. "That, and Ruby would probably lose her mind if she knew the same thing."

"She does have a penchant for emotional responses." Blake agreed.

Azura smiled, responding jokingly. "Hey, we can't all be moody."

"Keep it up and I'll throw a book at you at some point." Blake replied dryly.

"So physical, Blake. Honestly, you're a perfect Huntress already."

"And you are too soft, Azura. Summer should toughen up that heart of yours."

Azura rolled his eyes as they turned a corner, still walking. "I'll have you know that I'm known for my heart! It's even in the name!"

"Yes yes, I'm well aware." Blake said, sarcasm deep in her voice. "You and your bleeding heart."

"Everyone says that about me." Azura grumbles. "Is it the smile? The pretty boy look? It's not my fault I took after my mother, you know!"

That got a short laugh from Blake. "Poor little Azura can't catch a break, can he?"

Azura sighs dramatically. "No, I really can't. I blame it on Summer."

"_Hey!_"

"I feel like it might be better to not annoy the ghost in your head." Blake said, as if she knew exactly what kind of response Summer had.

"_I'll try that possession, don't make me._" Summer said, more teasingly than anything.

Azura rolled his eyes again, and the factory that they were walking towards finally came in sight. They dropped the conversation and started to jog, quickly coming into the open area that led to it. It was large, but one wall was crumbled in on itself, broken bricks laying around on the ground.

"Well, here we are. This place is in the worst state of all the places we visited." Azura said.

"Likely due to age. The factory was abandoned, so it would make sense that it was rundown and not taken care of." Blake explained.

"Bah, I didn't come here for a history lesson, Blake." Azura replied, waving a hand at her lazily. He then looked at the factory more closely, frowning at what he saw at the main entrance that was in front. "Is it just me, or does it look like the entrance was intentionally blocked off?"

Blake walked closer to the doors, Azura following after her, and crouched down to examine it. "Yes, actually. That already confirms it to me that these are all connected."

"Not wrong there, I'd say." Azura says. "Well, we can get in through the broken wall, so let's go that way."

Blake nodded, and the two of them moved around the side of the building until they got to the wide opening of the wall, and walked through without much trouble beyond climbing some rubble. The inside was the same as the other areas they checked, burned and covered in soot.

"And no bodies to speak of…" Blake said to herself quietly. "Don't you find it weird how there are no bodies at all? People were definitely locked in during the fire, otherwise there'd be no point in setting the fires."

"Huh. You have a point there. If it was to destroy dust, that would make headlines in the news. If it was to destroy info, it wouldn't make sense, since they have such a large amount of people already, so they can just send a group or two to retrieve it if need be. And well, we were pulled into one of these fires because of people who were willing to give info on the White Fang." Azura said, saying his thoughts aloud as he walked around.

"Correct. Still, there could be something of importance around. Let's check the office." Blake said.

It only took a minute or two to find the office room, and while burns could easily be seen, it was on a less severe degree than others. Searching through the desk proved to be the best choice, as Azura drew out a letter with the angry looking symbol of the White Fang on it.

"I think I found what we were looking for this entire time, Blake. Not sure why it was left here, though."

Blake came closer from where she had been sifting through semi-burned papers, looking at it. "What's it say?"

She grabbed it from him, turning it over and frowning after a few moments. She then read it aloud. "Whistleblowers will be punished by those above them. If you are so much as suspected, you will be found and taken out, I promise you that. Heed my words when I say that I will know of the information you may give up in order to escape, and that you shall not escape me when you try."

"It's…personal. And much different compared to Torchwick's version." Azura said, frowning. "More brutal and harsh."

"Azura, there is something seriously wrong here." Blake said, turning to him. "So much worse than I thought it could be. Whoever this person is, they will do anything to stop any info leaks from occurring."

"Like," Azura started, looking at her. "Destruction and chaos kind of bad? Grimm kind of bad?"

Blake sighed. "I'm thinking something like that."

"Well, you know what we have to do, then." Azura said, glancing at the letter of warning.

"Inform my team?" She asked, though she clearly knew the answer to her question.

"Let's get back. Looks like it'll be a late day conversation for us."

Blake put the letter away, nodding.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Arriving back on Beacon grounds was nice to Azura, away from the broken and rundown state of the lower districts of Vale. What was less nice to Azura was the reactions he and Blake got when they came back, a bit of soot still on their hands, and darkened expressions.

"You two look like you got run over by a pack of Boarbatusks with those expressions!" Yang said. "You and your secret adventures are coming to an end if that is what's happening!"

"Secret adventures?" Ruby asked, poking her head over her bed. "It better not be dangerous…" She grumbled.

"Did we not discuss what would happen if you and Azura went off on your own? We've asked you not to do such wild things without informing anyone." Weiss said, giving her natural ice cold glare.

There were a few moments of silence where Blake and Azura looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Though, not much longer after that, Blake withdrew the letter and placed it down on the desk.

"There's been...a bit of a discovery, if you'll let us talk about that first."

"A discovery?" Ruby asked, curious.

Blake looked around, and when no one else had anything to say, spoke. "Me and Azura were first caught up in an active arson at a warehouse near the docks, and I have a feeling that you have seen the news on this one."

"You were what?!" Weiss exclaimed. "And neither of you decided to inform us? That's...it's insane! People died in that fire!"

Blake let Weiss have her small explosion before continuing. "White Fang members died in it, to be exact. And well, while we were there, Azura found a letter addressed to the White Fang by Torchwick."

"Neither of you were hurt, right?" Ruby asked, interrupting and coming down from her bed perch to stand on the ground.

"No, we weren't. Shaken up a bit, but not hurt." Azura answered, shaking his head.

"Good." Ruby said, her leader persona coming out.

"Well, if I can continue…" Blake said, sounding a bit more amused than annoyed. "That letter suggested that someone up high was taking measures to...stop any info leaks from happening. And that Junior was involved."

"Junior?" Yang asked, as if shocked that he would be involved in any capacity.

"Yes. He was also threatened with a letter, and had to comply with getting materials that would lead to the White Fang out and away from any prying eyes. But he was able to help us, even told us that there was a series of unreported arsons that occurred." She looked at Ruby as the girl was about to ask why, and decided to just cut her off. "Well, that comes to today, with Azura and I investigating some of those arsons."

"And you found another letter." Yang said, pointing to the desk.

Blake lifts it up again. "Correct. And this one was written by the very person who gave the order for the arsons, if the wording means anything."

"So, why are they setting themselves on fire to stop info leaks?" Weiss asked. "Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of their recent recruiting?"

Blake frowned, shaking her head. "Think about it for a second, Weiss. If they are willing to have some casualties in order to keep all of their info and plans a secret, including those who wouldn't know much about said plans, what does that say?"

"What they are planning is big enough to be worth stopping any leaks from occurring." Weiss said, her eyes widening. "You think they're trying something so big and possibly dangerous that they would do that?"

"I do." Blake responded quickly, no doubt in her voice.

"Makes sense, I suppose." Yang said. "Just reinforces the fact that we need to go and investigate the southeast section of Vale itself."

"And as soon as possible." Ruby spoke up, nothing but a decisive determination in her voice.

"You're all so easily swayed to take action." Weiss said, sighing. "Fine, I'm in."

Azura smiled, leaning on the wall as he watched the whole scene. Blake looked over at him for a moment, and then turned away once he looked at her.

"You guys should know...that my beliefs in the White Fang have changed." She said, looking uneasy. "I don't think I can pretend that they haven't lost their way. That they haven't gone over several lines." She sighed heavily. "I'm asking you all to help me with stopping them now. Please."

Ruby practically leapt at Blake, hugging her. "Our little Blake is opening up! Of course we'll help you!"

"Damn right we will." Yang said, dragging Weiss with her into what was turning into a group hug.

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed as she was grabbed, grumbling something as she was dragged into the group hug, but stopping as she shifted a little uncomfortably within it.

"_Not joining in?_" Summer asked.

"_Nah, let them have the moment. Plus, I enjoy the outside view from here._" Azura replied.

"Don't think you can hide from me!"

Azura yelped as he was dragged forward by Yang right into the group hug, practically pushed against Yang and Ruby. Yang was laughing, and he just sighed, giving into it and bringing his arms around Yang and Ruby.

"I suppose the inside view isn't that bad." He mumbled to himself.

**.**

**.(Line Break/Character Shift)**

**.**

Ozpin sat in his office, simply reading over the papers that he was sent from Glynda, when the elevator doors opened. He glanced up, seeing Glynda walk into the office, and smiled.

"Good of you to make it." He said, welcoming them.

"Of course, Oz." Glynda replied. "Is this about the missions starting up soon?"

"Yes." He started. "Or, rather, it's about what a certain group of students are attempting to do."

Glynda frowns, crossing her arms. "Team Ruby? What are they up to this time?"

"So negative already, Glynda." Ozpin said, chuckling. "You know they mean well."

She sighs heavily, glaring at him. "Well, what do you know?"

"You saw how Miss Rose tried to push her ideas of the White Fang being involved and how she just so happened to hear those women from the CCT talk about the southeast areas of Vale." He said, smirk growing. "Well, it just so happens that there is a mission to clear out Grimm in those areas ready to go for the missions."

"Oz, those are meant for second and third year students. You know how dangerous that area can be!" Glynda replied sharply, her frown deepening.

"I am aware, Glynda. But they have all displayed excellent skill, and it is not like they would be alone. I would be sending two people with the four girls."

"Two?" Glynda asks. "I know you assigned Oobleck to whatever mission they take, but would a second person be necessary?"

Ozpin nodded. "Of course it would be." He pulls a folder out, flitting it across the glass desk. "I'll be sending Mister Heart with them. Miss Sol will stay with team Juniper for whatever mission they choose to take."

Glynda looks through the folder, her already deep frown somehow deepening. "This is...Oz, what are you planning?"

"Something that will be useful in the long run, Glynda." Ozpin said. "It just requires a little bit of trust. From both sides."

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there we are. We have Team RWBY + Azura doing their thing, and we have Oz doing Oz things.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	31. Missions

**A rather simplistic chapter this time. Simplistic compared to the recent chapters, that is. Either way, let's get started.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 31: Missions**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 11th**

**Wednesday**

**Clear**

The orange sky of early twilight illuminated the JNPR dorm as Azura watched from the window, playing with the switchblade. He could hear Jaune and Pyrrha talking while Nora was explaining something to ren, but he was a bit busy with his own thoughts. Thoughts on if he should have agreed to help Neo and if he had, by proxy, helped the White Fang?

He knew that Neo wanted to be out of it, and by default, wanted Torchwick to get out of it as well. But why?

One could say that criminals working together shouldn't be questioned, but that it should be stopped. But what was in it for Neo and Torchwick? Safety? Power? Not that it mattered too much to him, but the questions still remained. What mattered to him was the fact that something big was being planned, and they were involved.

Yes, the looming 'evi' or whatever was bad, and he agreed that the White Fang must be stopped, but his bleeding heart made him wonder how he could help the dynamic duo of crime.

A loud ping rang out, snapping him from his thoughts, and he stood up from leaning on the window, putting the switchblade away. Turning back to the dorm, he saw everyone looking at their scroll.

"Professor Goodwitch sent a message to all first year Beacon students, requesting that we go to the ampitheatre." Pyrrha said, looking up with a smile. "We're finally taking on our first missions!"

"Oh, that's so exciting!" Nora said in a singsong voice, jumping up from her position on her bed. "What do you think we'll get? What if we get to choose?"

"Only one way to find out, Nora." Ren said, getting up more slowly. "We _were _told that this would happen today."

Jaune nodded, a smile on his face. "Once again, Ren is right. Come on guys, grab what you need, and let's get going."

The four of them moved about, and Pyra watched from the side. Azura, already having his gear on him, moved over to her side, her spear in hand. He glanced at JNPR, watching them conversate, then turned back to Pyra.

"Not that excited?" He asked.

Pyra looked up, her blue eyes looking up at him. "Oh, I am. Just thinking."

He tilted his head. "About?"

She shook her head. "Nothing too major, I promise."

"I'll trust you on that." Azura responded. "You ready to go?"

Pyra smiles this time, getting up and grabbing the spear. "Ready as ever."

Azura nods, and moves off to join everyone with six of them shuffled out of the door, meeting team RWBY in the hall, and moving up to join them.

"Heya! You guys heading to the ampitheatre as well?" Jaune said, greeting them.

"You betcha. I'm excited for this!" Yang responded with a grin.

Morphing to fit JNPR, Azura, and Pyra into the four of them, they continued on their way outside of the dormitory. Again, the twilight sky blazed on, and Azura finally thought about how late it was to be getting assigned to a mission. He assumed that one of two things would happen, that they would get the info and get going by tomorrow, or actually head off for the mission overnight.

"_Probably going through the night for most cases. Assuming we get a mission in the southeast, we'll get shipped out there by nightfall. Since we'll likely be entering the sector on foot after a bullhead transport, I mean._" Summer said.

Azura nodded, taking in her words. It made sense to him. "_What was your first mission, anyways?_"

"_Extraction of a nearby village, west of Vale. Took two weeks just to get it finished and everyone to safety._ _It was...an interesting time, really._"

"_An interesting time?_" He asked.

"_Yeah._" Summer said. "_Lots of the older people were...persistent to stay. It was frustrating, at the time. I swear Qrow and Tai were going to explode from the anger they had towards the people, but the two of them were nice enough to not get mad._"

"_Knowing you, they were forced into it._" Azura responded jokingly.

"_Shush, you. Don't you have a team to talk to?_"

Azura rolled his eyes, but left Summer alone for now. And it was a good time to do so, it seemed, as he tuned back into the conversation going on around him as they walked.

"Say, you think Azura and Pyra will get their own mission or something?" Jaune asked.

"They should just come with us!" Nora exclaimed. "It would be great."

"Well, they could possibly be separated, I think. Didn't you guys say something about how Headmaster Ozpin could put them elsewhere for these things?" Yang asked in return.

"Yes, that was said." Ren agreed. "And while it is possible, it would make sense for both Azura and Pyra to be with us. I mean, they are counted as members of team Juniper by the school itself."

"True, but you can never quite know with Headmaster Ozpin." Weiss said. "I mean, he's not known as a bit of an oddball for nothing."

"I'd prefer for the two of us to stick together." Pyra commented quietly, frowning.

Azura stepped in, hand on Pyra's shoulder, looking at everyone with a smile. "Whatever happens, we'll get through, yeah? No need to worry too much about these things right now."

Ruby nodded gladly. "Yeah. I'm sure everything will go fine for everyone."

Azura felt Blake glance at him, and he thought about whether or not he would be with team RWBY on whatever possibly brought them to the southeast of Vale. He shook his head, letting it drop from his mind. Whatever happens, happens, he supposed. His thoughts drifted away, and that was when he noticed a peculiar bag on one Ruby Rose.

"Uh, Ruby?" Azura asked, having moved over to her side.

"Oh, hey. What's up?" She asked, a smile on her face.

He glanced at the bag. "What's that for? You don't usually carry luggage around school grounds."

"Uh...nothing?" Ruby responded, her voice slightly nervous.

That was when a bark was heard from the bag, startling Azura for a moment. He looked around, noticing JNPR wrapped up with talking, though Pyra was watching him with a raised eyebrow, and he could see Yang looking back at him as well, a knowing grin on her face. Azura frowned, confused, then looked to Ruby for an explanation.

"Just look in it, I suppose…" Ruby said, sighing in defeat.

As awkward as opening a bag on someone else while walking was, Azura eventually undid the clasp and blinked in surprise when a corgi popped its head out, barking again.

"What." Azura said it as a statement, as if too stunned to really phrase it as a question.

"_Well, that's new…_" Summer said.

"What?" Ruby said, before it dawned on her. "Oh...right." She shakes her head, speaking again. "This is Zwei. Dad got him after a little while, even trained him to be a certified Huntsman companion!"

"That's…" Azura started, trying to think of the right words.

"_Cute._" Summer said, distracted.

"Cute." Azura finished, having said it with Summer.

"I know, right?" Ruby said, grinning. "Though, put him away, quickly! Before I get caught with him!"

Azura rolled his eyes, but did so, closing the clasp and leaving an open hole at the top to make sure Zwei could breathe. "I mean...Huntsman companions are a thing, I guess, so wouldn't it not matter if he is seen?"

"But he's not mine, he is dad's companion under name." Ruby explained. "So I don't know how that would go."

"I see." Azura said, shrugging. "I suppose that makes sense."

The rest of the walk was done in silence for Azura, simply content with listening to the others talk. They quickly entered the amphitheatre together, moving to a position near the center of the room. Plenty of other students were in the room, the buzz of conversation going on all around as they waited. Goodwitch was standing on a raised platform, a microphone to the side, and watched the students with her narrowed gaze. She was waiting for Ozpin, it seemed.

"I guess it isn't just Beacon students, then." Jaune stated, looking around the room at the students. "The other kingdoms have their students here as well."

"That's true." Pyrrha said, glancing about. "Maybe all first year students on Beacon grounds were called here. It might explain why they are using such a large room for this."

Azura saw Ozpin come out onto the stage, his cane out as always. As he stepped across the stage, Goodwitch called out loudly.

"Please, quiet yourselves. Headmaster Ozpin would like to share a few words before anything."

As the noise died down and RWBY and JNPR grouped up next to each other, Ozpin looked out among the students in silence. A few moments later, he spoke.

"We stand together today, united as one. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo...Vale." He paused, nodding. "Four kingdoms at one point. Eighty years ago, on this very day even, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of darkness, of the worst we can do. Of greed, and ignorance. Of racism and oppression."

A murmur among the students started, and Ozpin waited patiently to speak once again.

"It was a war that went beyond mere border placements, or who had what land. It was about individualism, and the very idea of being a person. They were dark times indeed." He said, shaking his head lightly. "Self-expression and art was to be destroyed, if this war continued. Luckily, many people could not stand for such a thing to rock the world to its core."

Azura looked at the people around him, noticing Pyra looking at the ground. He frowned slightly, unsure of why she would seem so unfocused at this moment. He reached out, pulling her slightly closer, and she let out a quiet noise of surprise, looking up at him. He smiled at her, tilting his head, and she gave him a brief one back. He felt her hand brush his arm and hold on lightly, and while confused, he let her do so and turned back to Ozpin.

"Of this large group who opposed it, many of them started to name their children after colors and other such personifying traits. Names of color, names that were based on flowers and nature, names of courage and love, or even the seasons themselves. Whether it be color or gem, sun or moon, heart or soul, It is something that has held tightly, even now. The idea at the time was to breed unity through diversity and individualism."

He smiled, then. Small, but visible. "But it is something that would not be there without bonds between people. Friends. Family. Lovers. While the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work very hard to maintain that peace. And that is why, on this very day, you will all be sent on a mission while shadowed by a Huntsman or Huntress."

See-through screens started to pop up around the room, the sound of several screens turning on going through the air as Ozpin continued to speak.

"You may work within the walls for the week. You may be outside of the kingdom for several days. But, no matter what path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do the best that you can do." He said, finishing his speech and starting to walk off.

The clapping of students could be heard around the room for several seconds before quieting down for a moment, then being filled with the excited chatter of students.

Nora was bouncing excitedly, grinning. "Come on, come on! We get to choose our mission!"

"On your lead, Nora." Jaune said, laughing.

He then turned to Pyra and Azura, waving them over. "Come on. Even if Headmaster Ozpin says anything to change the six of us taking a mission, I want it to be all of us looking around for a mission to take."

Pyra looked at Azura, talking quietly. "We should follow."

Azura could feel the burning gaze of team RWBY, and smiled awkwardly at Pyra. He found it difficult to say no to Pyra as she was, but he promised team RWBY that he'd be with them if possible.

"You go ahead, okay? I just need to talk to Weiss for a moment about my glyphs." He said, lying.

Pyra frowned, but nodded. "Okay. Don't take too long."

She walked off, and Azura sighed after she was a decent distance away. "Lying sucks."

"But, it did work. And yes, I would indeed like to see the glyphs at some point before the mission." Weiss said, nodding her head.

"Before anything, we need to find a good mission in the southeast of Vale!" Ruby said, her eyes bright as she adjusted the bag on her back.

"Shadowed by a huntsman, huh? We'll be all buddy buddy during the day, then slip on out like a ghost by night!" Yang said, keeping an eye on Azura.

It took a moment, but he cringed back as he thought about it. "Ghost puns, Yang? Why?"

She laughed, waving him off. "Anywho, where to start?"

Weiss frowned looking around the room. "Hmm...why don't we try 'Search And Destroy'? The southeast is rather known for dangerous things that need to be taken care of, Grimm or otherwise."

The five of them nodded, and they began to look for any board that had the thing they were looking for. Only a minute later, they managed to find a proper board with what they needed. Searching through the small list of missions to take, they found one that would take them to the same area that they needed.

"Here we go. Quadrant Five, Southeast Vale. Heavy Grimm Activity." Ruby said, pointing to it.

She stepped forward, selecting that mission and typing their team name in to take the mission. As it loaded it up, a beep was heard, denying them access to the mission in the first place.

"Wonderful." Weiss said, sighing.

Blake looked among them. "Any other ideas?"

"Perhaps I could offer my own idea." Ozpin said, coming around the board and speaking to them.

"Headmaster Ozpin! Hello." Blake exclaimed.

"We deemed that the area had too high of a Grimm count to deem it safe for first years." He explained, holding his scroll in hand and waving to the board. He turned back to them, smirking. "The area is quite popular among people, even Grimm. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that you would make your way there, no matter the mission."

"_Oh dear._" Summer commented. "_Not wrong, though._"

"W-What makes you say that?" Ruby asks, trying to seem innocent, but failing poorly.

"I'm still curious as to how you all made it to the docks, not just as a team, but with a tag-along in Azura, last semester." His smirk grew. "And I'm certainly interested in how you learned about this White Fang activity in the southeast. You five _do _have a knack for trouble, you know."

"Uh...well...I mean…" Ruby said, waving her arms in front of her as she tried to find an answer.

"Well, that is part of life's mysteries, is it not?" He said, speaking over Ruby. "How about this. I shall bend the rules in your favor, coincidentally, and not have my rules be broken." He tapped his scroll a few times, and the denial that they were given was then approved.

RWBY smiled among each other, excited. They turned back to Ozpin, and Ruby spoke.

"Thank you, sir."

He shook his head. "Do not thank me. Your teamwork and...curious persistence has carried all of you far. In fact, I'll throw in something a little extra." He looked at Azura. "Mister Heart will be allowed to join you four on this mission. Consider it a safety measure."

"And Pyra?" Azura asked.

"She will stay with team Juniper for their mission. I'm sure you do not need to worry about her." Ozpin said.

He nodded, and then looked at RWBY with a smile.

"But, if I could have a word, Mister Heart?" He looked at RWBY. "A private one, actually. About your team situation in this scenario."

"_Uh oh...that's not good._" Summer said, a hint of anxiety in her tone.

Azura kept a straight face, nodding again, then followed Ozpin off to the side, away from any other student. After a few moments of Ozpin looking around the room, he looked at Azura and spoke.

"Let me keep this straight, Mister Heart." He started. "I have a task for you."

"A...task?" Azura asked, trying to ignore Summer's building paranoia.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, a task. The region you are going to is known as Mountain Glenn. I am sure you know of the events there?"

"A failed civilization, an off-branch of Vale itself. Built a city, but was overrun by Grimm." Azura stated, listing off the main points of it.

Again, Ozpin nodded. "Correct. However, do you know why those events transpired in the first place?"

Azura frowned, trying to recall. "Someone brought the Grimm in?"

"Mostly, yes. But, he was a scientist of Vale, Doctor Merlot. Was head of the charge for a branching city away from Vale, even." Ozpin said, his expression growing dark. "However, he ended up experimenting on Grimm in secret. Made them stronger...more dangerous. He ended up dying anyway, but it was too late by then. The Grimm were already taking over the city."

Azura looked down, not wanting to seem disrespectful of the tragedy.

When Ozpin coughed into his hand, Azura looked back up. "Now, I tell you this for a reason. This task I want you to fulfill involves Merlot's work. There is an unmarked building that leads into his office and, corny as it sounds, secret lab. While I do not have the exact location of such an office or lab, I am certain that it is in the northern parts of the fallen city itself. I am asking you to recover any data he left there, if you accept."

"_Azura, please...think about this._" Summer pleaded, nervous concern evident in her tone.

Azura breathed out heavily, as if venting Summer's air out for her. "Why me, Headmaster?"

Ozpin placed a hand on Azura's shoulder, looking at him in the eyes. The vision of those other bodies once more appearing in his sight behind Ozpin, but vanishing as a barely noticeable green light sweeps through Ozpin's hand. "Because I am trusting you with it. Summer is the most capable person to protect you, and I wish to alleviate some of the anger and emotion you no doubt feel from Summer."

Summer didn't say anything to that, but Azura could feel her calm down slightly as she tried to rationalize the idea. He looked down, trying to show to Ozpin that he was thinking while talking to Summer.

"_Summer, listen to me._"

"_Listening._" Summer said after a moment of thought.

"_I know how you are feeling right now. I...I understand why you would feel that way. Remember, I saw...I saw the whole reason for your death play out._"

"_Yeah, I know._" Summer responded softly, seeming to retreat to a quiet corner.

"_You may not trust Ozpin at all. And I barely trust him myself because you don't trust him._" He said, letting her take in his words. "_But I trust you, Summer. Do you trust me enough to be okay with me accepting?_"

Summer remained silent for several long seconds, one that Ozpin was clearly patiently waiting for to end, before speaking. "_Yes. I do trust you, Azura. I will support you if you accept it. I will keep you safe from anything, if I have to._"

Azura smiled, finally looking up at Ozpin. "I'll do it, sir."

"Thank you, Azura." Ozpin said, smiling. He then grows serious. "The only other information I can give you is that you do not touch anything other than the data that will likely be there. I am serious, Mister Heart. If you have any reason to doubt your safety on touching any suspicious objects, do not touch them. Understand?"

Azura nods. "Of course. Thank you for trusting me with this."

"And thank you, Summer, for trusting me this once." Ozpin said, bowing slightly. "This data could be very integral. Now, I must talk with team Juniper and Miss Sol about your status with team Ruby."

He walked off, heading back into the mess of students among the room. Azura watched him go for a moment, then walked over to where team RWBY was still standing, watching him return.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked, concern in her voice and eyes.

"Yeah, it's okay." Azura said, feeling the guilt of lying come up again, but shoving it down to continue. "The Headmaster just wanted to make sure I would know the situation of how this will be done. Stuff like how I'll be marked down as a member of your team while on mission."

Yang grinned. "Perfect then! You get to start your track record of missions on a high note!"

Azura rolled his eyes. "I'm sure team Juniper will be perfectly fine for my track record or whatever you call it."

"Speaking of team Juniper, are they still looking for a mission?" Blake asked, taking a look around her.

"No, they've found one. I think I saw them walk outside." Weiss said, waving a hand to the entrance. "Though, should we even try and find them? Our mission starts within the hour."

Ruby shook her head, a quiet bark heard from the bag on her shoulders. "We should at least talk to them before we go. I'm sure they'll walk with us to...uh...where are we going?"

"The airship docks, Ruby." Weiss said, sighing. "Since we'll be going by bullhead, considering the location of our mission."

"Isn't it already kind of late?" Yang asked.

"I mean, despite the sky, it's not actually too late." Azura said, then paused and looked at Weiss. "Did you see an estimate for how long it would take to get there?"

The heiress shook her head. "No, I did not. But it should only take an hour at most. It's not too late already."

"Well, let's get going." Ruby said, moving forward and waving an arm for them to follow, a smile on her face.

They all followed after her, Blake and Yang discussing the mission while Weiss walked with Ruby, leaving Azura to round out the end. As they left the amphitheatre and came out into the open air, they found team Juniper waiting for them. The five of them joined the group, and they stopped to talk.

"So, what mission did you guys take?" Jaune asked.

"We get to search and get rid of Grimm over in sector five of Vale." Ruby said, excited. "It'll be fun!"

"Kicking ass will always be fun." Yang said, a wide smile on her face. "What did you guys choose to go with?"

"Ren and Nora wanted to do some patrolling with an officer of sorts west of Beacon." Pyrrha said. "I think it will be quite interesting."

"Sounds pretty cool." Azura said. "Are you guys leaving as soon as we are as well?"

"Not quite." Ren said, shaking his head. "We leave a week from now. Why?"

"We leave in just about an hour, though I am sure our Huntsman taking care of us might have us leave earlier." Weiss replied, waving a hand in the direction of the airships. "We're going to the airship docks now, just in case we need to leave earlier than that."

"Well, we should leave you guys to it, then." Jaune said, scratching the back of his head with a quick laugh. "Don't want to be wasting your time." He looked at Azura, smiling. "And the Headmaster explained what's going on with you, Azura. I'm sure you'll be fine, but be careful out there."

"Yeah, I will be." Azura said, pointing to his head. "Or the Huntress in my head will be rather displeased."

"Wait, before we head off!" Yang exclaimed, looking at JNPR. "Was Pyra pulled aside by Ozpin too?" She jabs a thumb at Azura. "This guy was, said it was mainly what will consist of working with another team."

"No, I wasn't." Pyra said, glancing at Azura as she spoke. "Though, that might be because of the fact that he isn't working with the team he and I were assigned too."

Yang shrugged. "True. I was just curious, anyways."

"Do you mind if...we had a few moments with Azura?" Pyrrha asked. "Not long, but we should bid a teammate farewell for a mission, I feel."

"Go for it." Ruby said, before speaking to Azura directly. "Just don't take too long, okay? I wouldn't want to leave you behind!"

"Never, Ruby." Azura said, joking. "You go on ahead with your team, small leader. I'll be right behind you, promise."

"Small?!" Ruby exclaimed, before sighing heavily in a mocking manner and muttering. "I drink milk, you know."

They all shared a laugh before the team RWBY left, leaving Azura with the what Beacon considered his team.

"Well, how are your goodbyes, huh?" Azura said, smiling.

Nora was the first to take action, making her words known through a blitz right into him and hugging him tightly. He grunted at the hug, stumbling back a step or two. He hugged her back lightly, chuckling.

"I'll miss you too, Nora. You and your antics both."

She moved back, grinning. "You better, Mister! Or I'll be very disappointed."

Azura rolled his eyes, and Jaune was at his side as Nora backed off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Again, take care of yourself out there, Azura. I'm sure you and team RWBY will be fine out there, watching each other's backs, but you know how it goes."

"With practice comes consistency." Ren said, nodding slightly. "Better to be told to be safe a thousand times than to never be told to do so. Be safe out there."

Azura smiles again, nodding. "You guys worry too much, you know."

"For good reason. We _are _your friends." Pyrrha said, moving to be in front of him. "And we wouldn't be good friends if we didn't care for each other."

"Of course, Pyrrha. I know you're a good friend." Azura said, laughing. "Probably the best friend someone could ask for."

She smiled back warmly, holding a fist out for him. He returned the fist bump and nodded. She backed off, waving everyone over to her, though Pyra stayed where she was near Azura. "Give the partners a bit of space."

"Pyra." Azura said, tilting his head at her. "Have fun with them, alright? The five of you should be able to do that mission with ease."

She nods, stepping closer. "I will. But, did the Headmaster truly pull you aside for nothing other than a few pointers about what will happen with team Ruby?"

"Yes, I promise." Azura said, feeling the natural sense of guilt for the lie. "Nothing too important beyond that."

Pyra studies his face for a moment, then sighs. "Okay."

Azura rolls his eyes, bringing his partner in for a hug. "Come on, you don't need to play the emotionless girl. I know you like hugs, probably as much as Nora does."

Pyra squirms for a moment before settling down and laughing lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe I'm just huggable."

"Don't tell Nora that." Azura commented, pulling back and smirking.

"Come back soon." Pyra said, looking up at him.

"As soon as I can." He responded.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The bullhead flew along in the sky, taking RWBY, Azura, and their Hunter, Doctor Oobleck, to their mission zone in sector five. Mountain Glenn to be more precise.

Azura was holding on to the strap on the inside of the bullhead, looking out of the open entrance and into the sky, watching it. A moment later, however, he talks to Summer, feeling a semi-strong feeling of anxiety from her.

"_Are you going to be okay?_"

"_Yeah...I'll be okay._ _It's just...the last time I took a mission from him," _Summer sighs. "_I can't stop thinking about it right now."_

Azura glances at the four girls in front of him, the idea of the mission being secret feeling wrong. But, Ozpin was clearly suggesting that he do it alone. Or, well, to do it with only Summer's and Luna's help. Lying aside, he also felt it was better to keep the four of them out of it, if only for their safety.

"_Dangerous area full of Grimm and a mission to fulfill._" Azura said, thinking on the memory of watching Summer slowly bleeding and choking on her own blood, shuddering for a moment. "_We can back out, Summer. If you don't feel ready, I will not force you to be._"

"_And I'm grateful for that, Azura. I truly am._" Summer said, then continued. "_But I almost saw you die because I wasn't there and ready, back on the docks. I almost saw Ruby and Yang die that day…_" She trailed off, thinking for a moment. "_I was helpless, unable to get help or to be the help as a ghost._"

"_Summer?_"

"_But, this time is different. I'm able to help, and well_," She chuckles softly."_I'm kind of stuck with you, and you are stuck with me. I'm not letting my fear get in the way of doing what I promised to do._"

"_And that is?_" Azura asked, if only to get the answer from her.

"_Protecting you, if that is all I can do._"

Azura smiled, watching the environment zoom by. It was rather touching, that Summer was so willing to protect him, and he couldn't help but feel like his situation with Summer was not just an unfortunate event, but a great boon, maybe to both of them.

"_And I will protect Ruby and Yang, if they need it. If that is all I can do for you, Summer._"

Azura heard Summer chuckle, glad that he managed to break her anxiety and nervousness for the mission to come. The mission to clear Grimm, the secret mission with team RWBY, and the mission Ozpin sent him on. It seemed that secrets were going to be something that continued to grow.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Not much to say here, but I'm excited to get writing the next few chapters. Have a nice day/evening!**


	32. Mountain Glenn

**And so it begins, the first mission assigned to the first years finally underway. Anyways, I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I think it went better than I thought it might go, which is good in my opinion. I wouldn't want to send out a chapter and later dislike what it was.**

**Well, I hope you like the chapter!**

**Chapter 32: Mountain Glenn**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 11th (Same day)**

**Wednesday**

**Clear**

The bullhead pulled back up and flew off as the five Beacon students and their Huntsman stepped forward. Azura could see the sun start to dip further as the moon became a bit more prominent, but there were a few more hours in the day before it was truly nightfall.

The city with no name looked just as bad as Azura would have imagined. Grey, dark, desolate, and clearly empty of anything living at the moment. Ruined streets were filled with weeds and other plants, and the crumbling buildings around them were a testament to the disrepair of the entire place. And, to top it all off, there wasn't a single ghost in sight, and it only made the failed city seem that much more desolate and empty.

"Not even a ghost town." Oobleck said. "Quite the sad sight, really."

"It's...kinda creepy." Ruby commented.

"Yes, precisely, Ruby! I coul-" Oobleck paused mid sentence, staring at her. "Ruby Rose, what did I say about extra baggage?!"

"Not to carry more than what you gave us?" Ruby asked, laughing awkwardly.

"And you disobeyed that order?" He asked back.

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Well...that was before you ordered us to listen to your every word." She chuckles. "So, I didn't."

Azura heard Yang try to not laugh, and a smile grew on his face. Something about what Ruby said was just so sarcastic, yet innocent, and it was rather amusing.

"What could possibly be in that bag that you consider bringing it along anyway?" Oobleck asked, his rapid voice coming into true effect.

"Uh...well.." Ruby began to explain, then Zwei's head popped out and he barked at Oobleck.

Azura fell silent as Oobleck's face went blank, seeming to be shocked. A glance at Yang, Weiss, and Blake showed that they weren't exactly sure what to do here, while Ruby seemed to be somewhat mortified.

"You brought an...Huntsman animal...to an investigation to track Grimm and other things while it was not registered to you..." Oobleck said, as if piecing the puzzle together. "I'd recognize your father's companion anywhere...Ruby, you're a genius!"

"I, uh, what? I am?" Ruby asked confused.

"Yes, you are!" Oobleck cried out. "Oh, this will make the investigation so much easier!"

Azura looked around, getting gazes of confusion, then asked Oobleck what was on everyone's mind. "What are we even investigating, Doctor?"

"Why, young Azura, we're looking to track after Grimm! Oh, and whatever else Ozpin might have said we could find…" A knowing gleam entered his eyes. "Such as whatever the five of you believe might be here."

Azura nodded slowly. "Er, right. And where are we going to find these Grimm?"

"Well, that's part of the investigation! Grimm tracks exist for a reason!" Oobleck responded.

"In any specific fashion?" Weiss asked. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't think any of us know more than the basics of investigating Grimm properly. We shouldn't just blindly do it."

"Nonsense! There is nothing quite like learning on the job!" Oobleck responded. "You'd be surprised by how many Huntsmen learned a new fighting style or aura technique while on the job, Miss Schnee."

"We would need something to learn from, then." Yang said. "Besides, who said an investigation has to be just tracks and boring leaf examining?"

"History, my dear girl, history." Oobleck said. "Or the very thing we are looking for will do it for us."

"What?" Blake asked.

"Turn around, the five of you! Weapons drawn!"

They all spun on a dime, weapons drawn and in hand. While surprised to see Grimm wandering around, they stood their ground and stayed there, watching the creatures walk out onto the street.

"Should we just wait and watch?" Weiss asked, posing defensively.

"No, you silly Huntress-in-training." Oobleck said, laughing. "You are supposed to do the very thing that I am to look at."

"And that is?" Yang asked, shaking her hands out in excitement.

"Show me what you got, ladies." Oobleck said. "Oh, and Azura."

"Just what I was hoping for!" Yang yelled, excitement in her voice as she shot off, shotgun shells sounding off as she launched herself at the now large group of Beowolves that were in the street in front of them.

"Don't have all the fun!" Ruby called out, her semblance sending her off into the fray.

"They are definitely sisters all right." Weiss said, amused as she ran off after them, black glyphs sending her forward.

Blake moved off silently with a smirk, ribbon shooting out as she swung through the air with a standing light post.

Azura rolled his eyes. "Show you what we got, huh?" He felt the petals slowly gather around his feet before shooting off into the sky towards the group of Grimm, aiming towards the flying bird Grimm that fluttered around, squawking. "Summer does like the challenge!"

He spun through the air, slashing at the bird Grimm as they dissipated in large quantities, having no armor to defend themselves. He started falling to the ground, landing with a roll just in front of Yang and slashing both weapons in front of him horizontally and cutting down a semi-large Beowolf.

"Damn, Azura! Let's get going with this!" Yang called out, punching a charging Beowolf with the brute force of a truck.

Yang pushed up ahead of him with a yell of excitement, punching and kicking Beowolves left and right. Shotgun shell after shotgun shell, punch after punch, and Yang was like an unstoppable storm. Shattering the armor on one Beowolves head, cracking through the stomach of another, her yells seeming to add to the strength, and she was like an actual boxer who never fell down.

Azura kept behind her, slicing at any Beowolf that got past her, not that there were many. After several seconds, Azura slid under an Major Beowolf that was sent flying over him, slicing his sword through it as it went by. He got up, hearing Yang call out to him.

"Up and at 'em! See ya later, Azura!"

She ran off, and Azura turned and jumped off again, this time landing on top of a beowolf and crushing it under his weight, stabbing it to make sure it died.

From there, he sliced through several more Beowolves and shot dust at the farther targets, spinning and jumping through the air with Summer's semblance. It took him a moment to realize that the Beowolves were growing large in number, and he was starting to get grazed and hit by several of them. Increasing the speed of Summer's semblance, he danced around and jumped up and over them, taking on a more aerial fighting style as he did so, incorporating downward slashes and quick stabs into his attacks.

A moment later, Blake was also jumping around and kicking Grimm away as she jumped around like a graceful cat. There was no pistol out, but she was slashing with both katana and sheath, dual wielding. Kicking off Beowolves like they were nothing, she was clearly staying in the air much better than him.

Azura shot more dust around him, slowing and shocking the Beowolves directly around him long enough for him to land and spin with a speed only manageable with Summer's semblance, his dagger and sword ripping into Beowolves. Though, the number of Beowolves never seemed to go down at all while fighting, and he leaned back and away from the clawed paw swinging at him. Blake wasn't fairing much better, despite her jumping around on top of them.

"Azura, Ferocity!" Blake called out to him.

Azura jumped into the air, seeing Blake practically smash a Beowolves jaw into the ground forcefully, jumping high into the air. They met within the air, and two clones appeared next to them. They both took one and slammed them towards the ground, the clones exploding in fire dust and taking out a large chunk out of the group of Beowolves and blowing the others away.

The two of them landed, nodding, and moved off again. Azura ran through the street, killing one or two Beowolves as they went to attack him. Joining Weiss, he zipped past her and bounced around the two buildings on either side of the street, slicing limbs off of the Beowolves and hearing the familiar hum and buzz of Weiss's glyphs as she bounced on summoned ones up and in the sky and dealing killing blows to the wounded Grimm.

Weiss stopped next to where Azura did, taking a breath.

"Is there always this many Beowolves in a pack?" She asked aloud.

"Well, be glad that you got a fifth then." Azura responded, twisting the weapons in his hands as he felt Summer's movements try to break free beyond his own following. "We're all getting into it though!"

The roar of a Major Beowolf sounded among the chaos of fighting, and it's armored shell stiffened as it charged towards them.

"You jump and slam down, I'll send it towards you." Weiss said, speeding off without another word.

Not wanting to annoy the bossy girl, Azura sped forward and leapt into the sky. He put aura into both weapons, feeling the clash of both blades as aura swept into them and he put them together. As he reached the apex of his jump, he could see Weiss bouncing around her glyphs and weakening the shell.

A moment later, a large glyph appeared below the Major Beowolf and it was flung up as Azura fell. Just as Azura and the Grimm were about to meet, he slashed down and forced his momentum down as the ethereal cloak fluttered and petals scattered in the sky.

"Aether!" He called out, the signature name ringing out nicely to him.

He crashed down on the ground, the Major Beowolf vanishing into the black mist of a dead Grimm before landing on the ground. He got up, feeling Weiss zip past him and skewer a Beowolf.

Not a word was said as Azura sprinted past Weiss and back into the main part of the street. Ruby was there, slicing and spinning Crescent Rose around her body as it tore through Beowolves like warm butter. She jumped back as some Beowolves jumped at her prior position, slashing at air, and landed by Azura.

"Let's do this!" She yelled. "Petal Swap!"

What seemed to be the last group of the Beowolves charged at them with reckless abandon, and Azura stabbed forward with his sword and slashing to his left with the dagger, feeling Ruby's scythe head swing by horizontally to his right.

"Switch!"

Azura twisted and slashed down into another Beowolf with his sword. He dragged the blade out and cut in front of him with both weapons.

"Duck!"

Azura did so, seeing the Beowolf in front of him get sliced clean through. He turned as another Beowolf got sent flying overhead, and saw Ruby get pushed back, her long scythe not the best option as they got too close.

"Jump switch!" Azura called, and Ruby jumped into the sky.

He stepped forward hastily at the Beowolves to attack, cutting arms off as he did so, then jumped up and saw Ruby slice through them with ease, since they were crippled. One last Beowolf could be seen, and Azura landed as Ruby switched her scythe into more of a large spear, the scythe head straightening out, and simply impaled the last Grimm.

The sounds of fighting died off, and they were left in the silence again, looking around to find Grimm that might have been hiding as they breathed heavily, then relaxing once nothing else came up. Azura stretched his arms and put his weapons away, Ruby following suit. Weiss, Blake, and Yang jogged back up to join Azura and Ruby.

"Well, that was fun." Yang said, grinning as she cracked her neck.

"There were…" Blake said, being cut off by Weiss.

"A lot. A whole lot of Beowolves."

"That's positively true, Weiss." Oobleck said, approaching them. "Excellent job, all of you. If we were here just for combat analysis, you would all be passed and moving on."

"Thanks, Doc." Yang said, trying to fix her hair.

"Really, a great showcasing of your skills, all of you." Oobleck said. "Now that they are gone, I can continue with what I was going to have us do."

"And what's that?" Ruby asked, having caught her breath fully.

"Why, that would be splitting us up into two groups. We can cover more ground, and not to worry, we won't be far from each other. Two streets apart at most."

Azura nodded, looking up from his scroll for aura levels. He and Weiss had used a good amount, but they had pretty good aura regeneration. "I guess that makes sense. What are the groups going to be?"

Oobleck looked among them. "You, myself, and Miss Xiao Long will be group one, and we'll stay within this street and move from there. Your team leader, Belladonna, and Miss Schnee will be group two, staying on a street ahead of us."

As they moved into the groups they were assigned to, Oobleck spoke again. "Be careful. Remember your training, your mission, and to meet up as night starts to set in. We'll investigate until nightfall, then set up camp for the night."

They all nodded, and Oobleck nodded back. "Excellent. Now, let us begin."

Ruby's group moved off, jogging off and through an alleyway that led onto the street next to them. Oobleck continued down the street they were on, and Azura sheathed his weapons to follow after him with Yang to his side.

Azura looked around again, not seeing any more Grimm around from where the pack of Beowolves came from, and nodded. Better to know that the whole pack was gone than to be surprised, as Luna might tell him. The crunch of broken glass could be heard as they stepped past a small building that seemed to have been a store at one time. The windows had been broken, and the inside wasn't in any better shape, and Azura sighed as he thought of what could have been here.

"This was once a marketplace, if you two could not tell." Oobleck said. "Would have been lively if all went well."

"I can tell. This place isn't even a ghost town, either." Azura said in response. "No sign of anything other than us and the Grimm we saw."

Oobleck kept moving forward, stopping in place near a building and crouching down by the downtrodden plant in front of it. He spoke as he examined it.

"That goes double for what you say. Ozpin has informed me of your semblance prior to the mission, so for you to say that there's nothing other than us and some Grimm is...either good or very unfortunate."

"I'll stick with good, if you don't mind." Yang said, looking around. "Grimm I can fight. Plus, I'd rather not have Azura get kidnapped by the dead or something."

"I've...never thought of that." Azura said, voicing his thoughts. "And I intend to not think about it, unless you want me to become paranoid." He finished, laughing for a moment.

"Well, just use that thingy you do to make Luna visible and we'll see whoever is trying to ghostnap you. We'll beat 'em up for ya." Yang replied.

Azura shrugged. "If anyone other than me could stop them, that is."

"Don't see why they wouldn't be able to be stopped by a good ol' punch from me." Yang said, raising an eyebrow at him in a questioning manner.

As they turned down onto another street, a glimpse of Ruby's red cloak visible on the nearby street on their right catching Azura's eyes, he responded. "Well, I've never really seen any actual damage on Luna from combat other than training with me. As far as I know, I'm the only one who can injure a ghost with my semblance fully active."

"That might require some actual testing, you know." Yang said, rolling her eyes.

"True. We'll have to find out when we get back to Beacon, though."

"Enough chatter." Oobleck said, waving them over. "Grimm tracks are here and prime to be studied."

They walked over and looked at the area that Oobleck was looking at. He pointed around at the sets of tracks among the path, and the indents on the grass were slightly easier to see the more Azura looked at them.

"Well, go on. Tell me what it looks like to you." Oobleck said, waving a hand to Azura and Yang.

"Uh, well, they're more hoove-like. That kinda throws the idea of Beowolves and Ursas out the window." Yang spoke, looking down. "And we haven't seen anything that might suggest a larger Grimm beyond that."

"Boarbatusks, then." Oobleck stated, nodding his head. "What else?"

"_There's no Major among them. There's actually not that many of them there in the first place, but all of the hooves there have no extended protrusions on them._" Summer said, analyzing the tracks.

Luna looked up from looking at the tracks, holding a hand up with four fingers.

"There's not many even in the group, at least this one. Four of them, and no Major Boarbatusk either. Which is odd, since most Grimm that roam areas like this together have at least one to follow."

"Correct. It's certainly an odd thing to have, though it's possible that the Major was simply not here with them. The tracks are also rather recent...they could be nearby." Oobleck said, looking around.

"We could try to follow after them, right?" Yang asked.

"We could, yes." Oobleck said, moving while looking at the tracks. "Actually...they follow up this road anyway. Let us see just how close they are."

Oobleck kept his eyes on the tracks as he continued forward, and Azura and Yang followed after him again. The tracks continued, broken up slightly by the roads that intersected the one they were on, and Azura turned to see Ruby, Wiess, and Blake watching Zwei sniff at the ground around them.

Moving past that, the three of them ended up in front of the entrance to a broken down parking garage, and the tracks tapered off after that, suggesting that the Boarbatusks were within. Azura looked at Yang, who shrugged, while Oobleck was frowning as he looked from the tracks to the parking garage.

"This close...this could be a problem if not dealt with." The green-haired man said, sighing. He stood up, turning to Azura and Yang. "You two will go in and look for them, _try_ to not get spotted by them. We might have only seen four sets of tracks, but it's very possible that there are more than we suspect."

They nodded, but Yang quickly spoke up. "What about you?"

"I must inform your teammates that we've come across an active Grimm nest. And to have them report if they have seen anything." Oobleck answered, adjusting his brown trench coat.

Without another word, the man walked off, and the two students looked at each other, both confused, yet unsurprised.

"Well, okay then. Shall we enter?" Azura asked.

"Eh, we were told to. Let's go." Yang responded, walking inside.

Azura followed her, two steps behind. The inside of the parking garage was mostly empty, besides the broken down and rusted cars that were still in parking spots. The paint for the spots and the signs on the pillars were mostly faded and almost unrecognizable at this point, and Azura frowned at the dry bloodstains in the tarmac, though no bodies remained.

"This is the creepiest parking garage I've ever seen." Yang commented aloud, as if trying to fill the silence.

"Can't say I disagree." Azura responded. "You see any sign of the Grimm here?"

"Not on the first floor. We'll have to go up."

They kept going in silence, up onto the second floor of the parking garage. They saw most of the same things as they did on the first floor, but it wasn't the sights that made them stop their movement.

"Noise, movement." Azura whispered.

Yang nodded, pointing up. Azura listened more closely, hearing the movement he had just called. The sounds of hooves on a hard surface, and the snort of the Boarbatusks they were looking for. There was no way to tell how many there were for sure, a fact that Azura did not like.

They crouched down, moving forward again, this time at a slower pace than before. They creeped around, hearing the sounds of the Boarbatusks shuffle and move around above them. Azura, near enough to Yang to continue whispering, spoke to her.

"They're staying in the back of the third floor. Likely a small group still, but more than four. Should we find Oobleck?"

Yang shook her head, pointing behind her. Azura turned to look, seeing Oobleck watching them. The man nodded silently, and Azura turned back.

"_I guess it'll be just us, then._" Summer commented quietly.

They started to creep up to the third floor, and they stopped and stood against the wall at the top of the ramp leading up, looking at each other again.

"I'll look." Azura whispered, receiving another nod.

He stepped forward slowly and with caution, turning his head and peeking past the wall to see what he would find. The boarbatusks were shuffling around, and if Azura could guess, like they were restless. An odd thought to apply to a Grimm, but that's how he saw it.

A headcount showed that there were six Boarbatusks in total, and Azura waved at Luna to have her look around as well. She floated off, turning a corner and vanishing for a few moments, then came back to him.

"I saw six normal Boarbatusks. You?" Azura whispered.

The white fox Faunus nodded her head, holding up her hands and playing a small game of charades to try and explain herself. It took a few moments, but Azura was able to see what she was trying to tell him, and turned to Yang.

"Six Boarbatusks, one Major Boarbatusk. Are you ready for a fight?"

Yang smirked, whispering. "Always."

"No chance of a surprise attack, either. Floor's pretty empty." He whispered back.

Yang nodded. "I'll go out there with you."

Azura turned to look again, then turned away and breathed in and out, taking out his weapons and nodding. Dashing out, he and Yang quickly caught the attention of the Boarbatusks there. The nearest of the three shook their heads and started dashing towards them, and Azura smirked at the simple nature of Boarbatusks.

Luna came flourishing into visibility, grabbing one of the tusks on the Boarbatusk to his left and stepping through the air with a flip and letting it fall and slide onto the ground to attack it. Yang, at that same moment, stamped down as the Boarbatusk to his right hit her, and she grunted with effort as she stopped its charge by grabbing its tusks and flipping it over behind her.

Azura leapt forward, feet first, above the Boarbatusk in the center, grabbing onto the tusks and letting Summer's semblance do the rest of the work to flip his own Boarbatusk over on its back. He stabbed the dagger into its exposed stomach, dragging it towards him before ripping it out and letting the Boarbatusk evaporate.

Three down, four to go.

Luna stayed in the air while Yang dashed forward, and Azura sprinted by and centered in on the Boarbatusk that Luna just flipped over to stab it in the stomach. Yang growled to his side, breaking off a tusk each from the other two Boarbatusks, smashing their protective shells on their heads with a well-timed and brutal punch and jabbing the tusks into their heads. They all grouped up again, watching the Major Boarbatusk staring at them and growling as it stamped its hooves.

"That's one way to kill them. You got a plan for the big guy?" Azura asked, glancing at Yang.

"Cut the back of its legs until it falls over and I'll get a good punch in." Yang replied, shaking her hands with a smile on her face.

"Just a good punch?"

"It's all I'll need."

The Major Boarbatusk charged them with surprising speed for it's huge bulking size, the bone structures covering most of its body, minus the legs. Luna made her way to its left side, dashing past it while Azura did the same on the right side. They skidded to a stop next to each other, behind it, and dashed forward to slash at its hind legs. While hurt, the Boarbatusk was still standing and seemed to grow angry, thrashing with its body and forcing them away from it.

It attempted to charge again, and Azura and Luna once again tried to knock it down mid-charge. They cut it again, and it stumbled for a moment before swinging around and smashing into Azura and sending him flying away. He yelled out in surprise and grunted in pain as he hit a pillar, hearing it crack behind him.

Coming to his senses, he started to get up and looked to the fight. Luna had stabbed the Major Boarbatusk in the leg, forcing it to try and break free, but it was already too late. Yang's eyes flashed red and her hair was set ablaze for him to see. She yelled out, pulling back and punching the Major Boarbatusk. The bone plate on its face shattered and it was set flying and through the wall itself, falling as it already started to dissipate.

Azura got up while Yang shook her head and spoke. "I guess taking those hits were useful for something. Trusty semblance."

"Trusty indeed. Excellent fighting and coordination, I must say." Oobleck said, coming out to join them.

"You were watching?" Azura asked, cracking his back as he did so.

"Yes, I was."

"And you didn't join to help us?" Yang asked. "I mean, I don't know, I was kind of expecting to see a trained Huntsman in action or something."

"My job right now is to oversee the progress of the five students here and make sure they are safe while completing their mission." Oobleck replied. "There is no need to step in when you had things handled easily enough."

"I guess. Would be kind of cool to see you fight, though." Yang said.

"Tell me, Miss Xiao Long. Why did you want to become a Huntress?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I...well, I'm a thrillseeker. I like to fight and see what kind of adventures I can get into. And well, if I get to save people while doing so, that's also pretty great." Yang responded, tilting her head. "Why do you want to know?"

"Call it a curiosity." Oobleck said. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Er, well...yeah."

"I see." He said as he turned around, and started to walk off. "Camp is being set up as we speak, night is falling upon us. Make sure to join us for whoever gets the first watch of the night." He paused, turning to look back once more. "And Yang, if that truly is all you see in this line of work...I would think hard about whether or not you want it."

He left then, and Yang looked down as she frowned. "Is that...all? Is it?"

Azura frowned, not liking the doubt in her words. It was rather unlike her. He approached her slowly, nudging her with a shoulder. She looked at him, and he finally spoke.

"If you're asking me, I think you're in the right place as you are. Not just because of your strength or how your semblance works or whatever, but your heart." He smiled. "You've got the heart of a Huntsman, that's for sure. Maybe you just have to figure out what you truly want from it."

Azura nodded, patting Yang on the arm with a hand. "Don't doubt yourself. You'll find out what you want."

He walked off, and after a few seconds, he heard Yang start to walk and catch up to him. "Thanks."

Azura smiled, feeling Summer smile as well. He just hoped that Oobleck's words didn't bother her too much. He also hoped he didn't get the first watch. He had a city to look around for what Ozpin asked of him.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Sneaking off from the group had been easy enough. Yang had accepted to take the first watch of the night, and once she was away and the others were fully asleep, he had simply snuck up to the top of the parking garage, hood up and zipped, and, using Summer's semblance, jumped from the roof of the parking garage onto a nearby building that was just about the same height, if a little smaller.

The only thing he didn't like about this right now was being away from the fire that had been burning. It might have been put out by now, but the area they were sleeping in was much warmer than out in the open. The chilly wind swept by him as he jumped from one building from the other, Luna helping to catch him for a smoother landing, trying to find the northern district of the city.

"_The parking garage is just about in the southwest corner of the city, and we haven't deviated from the scenery and walls on our left, so we should eventually find it._" Summer said. "_It's just a matter of time._"

A matter of time, however small, didn't matter too much to him. The cold and dead ruins of the city around Mountain Glenn did not sit right with him, for several reasons. As Azura landed on another roof, he paused to step on the edge and look around him.

The dull grey and black colors of the buildings made the place feel like all sense of emotion that might have been here was gone, washed away with the paint. Very little color was visible, despite his good Faunus vision and the moonlight, and as he looked down to the streets, watching some Beowolves slowly walk through, he frowned.

"_This place is too dead, Summer. Not a sign of life or even a ghost in sight, just dry plants and Grimm. I don't like it one bit._" Azura said, shaking his head.

"_Not wrong there. Do you think…_" Summer started to ask, trailing off.

"_That they don't want to even be here anymore? Enough to vanish?_" Azura finished for her.

"_Yeah._"

Azura sighed, turning and jumping with Summer's semblance again, getting back into the routine of jumping across the roofs. "_Doubt it. They have to be here somewhere…_"

He wasn't too sure of those words, but he decided it was better to let the idea at least be there. He supposed that, if there were no ghosts, that they had moved on beyond their desires and regrets. But was it possible to have that be the case when your life just suddenly ends one disastrous day?

Again, Azura wasn't sure of the answer to that question, and Summer definitely had no proper answer either. Perhaps no one ever would. Azura shook his head, banishing the thoughts for now, and focused on the task at hand.

"_At least I can actually see the northern wall from here. That means that, while big, this place isn't nearly on the scale of the actual city of Vale._" Azura said, thinking about it. "_It realistically takes only twenty minutes or so to get close via your semblance._"

"_So it would seem. Which means that we're just about to enter the Northern district of the city. Let's stop near the north wall and look around a bit more slowly from there._" Summer advised.

Azura nodded and kept going until he got near the north wall, stopping to stand on a decently tall building to look around and try to spot anything worthwhile. This part of the city looked a bit more advanced, though any powersource to light the buildings here were clearly dead and not usable in any capacity.

It almost reminded Azura of the richer district of the city of Vale, or even of Beacon itself. There was a regal look and design to the entire place, and it seemed like most of the technological stuff here, while gone, destroyed, or useless now, were used the most. Medical buildings such as hospitals could be seen, while some other unknown facilities could be seen.

"_Not exactly a place for people to live. Guess that's why the southern areas have more houses and apartments than anything else. Maybe the city was built like a grid or something._" Azura said, trying to lay out his thoughts.

"_I can see that being the case. Better to stay organized in a place like this, really. But, I can see why Ozpin thinks that this doctor's lab or whatever is in this part of the city, secret or not. I'm sure he had a lot of influence in these kinds of places, so it would be easier if he worked just in this area and not across and all over the city itself._" Summer stated, giving her own thoughts on it.

Azura nodded, still looking around. "_We'll need to mark down certain buildings, then. Try and narrow things down from there, make it easier for the days to come._"

"_Works with me. We should try to get a mental map of this area and mark buildings down from there. I'd say medical buildings and clearly technology oriented buildings would be the best bets we have, but we should also mark down any other suspicious area._"

And that was exactly how Azura spent his time for the night. Jumping between buildings, avoiding the streets below in case of Grimm. Luna was down there for him, to get a closer look at the buildings they were looking for in the first place. Some places were medical facilities, others were museums that were technology focused, and hospitals and science related buildings were also marked down.

When Azura checked his scroll after having gotten just about half of the way through the northern district of the ruined city, not seeing too many buildings beyond that caught his eye or drew suspicion to itself, and frowned at the time.

"It's getting late, I should start to head back soon." He said quietly to himself.

"_Well, let's rest a bit, get some aura back, and then we can head back._" Summer said.

Azura nodded, sitting down on the edge of the building he was on, looking around the place. It didn't take long for Luna to return and sit down with him. He leaned to the side, placing himself on Luna's shoulder and looking up at the sky. Luna returned the gesture and laid her head on his shoulder.

The night sky was clear and the stars bright. The broken moon shined down upon them, and silence enveloped the three of them as they took time to just appreciate the beauty of the night, despite the dark nature of the city ruins they were in. It was nice, again, to have that silence. No one but the ghosts he trusted his life with and the nature around them.

No Grimm. No bad omens. No pressure from those around him, though he felt he was blessed by some higher being for what he had. Wonderful friends he would fight alongside, and beginning to understand the woman in his head. A semblance that, while made in times of hardship and grief, allowed him to see more than just one side of life.

"_Not all things must be doom and gloom, you know._" Summer said, warmth in her tone. "_You've reminded me of that fact._"

Azura smiled, looking up at the moon, shattered and broken. "_Very true, Summer. I'm just thinking about stuff that probably looks a lot darker than it really is._"

Summer laughs then, the sound slightly echoing to him. "_When we get back, I'm having you bake cookies. You don't happen to bake at all, do you?_"

"_No, never. At least, not often enough to be good at it._"

"_Well, perhaps you'll be better with someone who can bake inside of your head._" Summer said. "_Anyways, we should really get heading back. Yang's watch is over soon._"

Azura nodded, getting up and having Luna follow him up. Taking one last look at the area he would be spending quite a few nighttime hours in, he turned away and started to make his way back to the parking garage he was supposed to be sleeping in with everyone else.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**All I have to say here is that I'm excited to get into these next few chapters!**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	33. A Mountain of Questions

**Chapter 33 is primed and ready to go. Hope you all like it!**

**Chapter 33: A Mountain of Questions**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 12th**

**Thursday**

**Foggy**

Azura was awake and alert when getting the camp supplies together, having been the final watch before sunrise. Oobleck had wanted everyone up by then, and Azura wasn't going to question the person in charge of them over such a thing. Despite the somewhat grumpy Blake and the 'surprised-to-see-his-face' Ruby when waking them up, there was relatively no words spoken outside of him telling them to pack up camp and pointing to Oobleck, who was making sure to get their breakfast ready, a simple supply of dried fruits, protein bars, and water.

No birds chirped outside of the parking garage, unlike Beacon, and the silence certainly seemed to weigh on everyone, if the glum silence that befall them all meant anything. Azura, Ruby, and Oobleck had been the only ones to speak, and even that was just for necessity. The wind blew through the open holes within the building, including the one that Yang had opened up the previous day, and the chill of a September morning whipped through the area. It wasn't exactly the frosty cold of Winter, but Autumn was starting to creep in.

Breakfast was also a quiet affair, with Oobleck looking at what seemed to be a rough map of the area, while Yang and Blake simply leaned on the wall next to each other, whispering to each other. Weiss was standing near Oobleck, watching him draw his finger along the map while he made a comment here and there to her, explaining what would happen today.

Ruby and Azura were sitting next to each other on the edge of the hole that Yang made, looking outside towards the city itself. They didn't speak to each other, simply eating the dry food and just watching the sun become larger and larger as light started to seep into the city and shadows reached across. Azura could say for sure that the city was much easier to bear with in the daylight, the night fully highlighting how creepy the place was not too pleasant of an experience.

"Ladies, Azura, come here. We're to discuss what today is going to be, as well as groups again." Oobleck called out, waving at Azura and ruby when they turned their heads to look at him.

Azura got up, then pulled Ruby up afterwards and moved to join everyone else to hear what Oobleck had planned. The man looked among them once, then back to the map to close it. He nodded, turning back around with a gleam in his eyes.

"Now, I know you all will not be as excited as me when I say this, but we're continuing our tracking and exploring. Grimm locations, some fighting to warm us up maybe, and the possible clues for any others that might be here. Continuing along the streets near the western wall, we'll be able to then sweep across towards the area between the northern wall and the very center of the city itself." Oobleck paused then, thinking. "I doubt we'll get there by nightfall with our pace, seeing as we'll be stopping at least once in every street for something, though, so we can worry about heading in another direction another day."

They all agreed with his words once Azura nodded and looked to see similar reactions to his own, so no complaints came forth. Oobleck nodded himself, then spoke again.

"As for groups, I have already decided them. Azura, Weiss, and myself will be one group. And the other group will be Ruby, Blake, and Yang. Any questions before we head out?"

"Er...yeah." Ruby stated, playing with her fingers as she looked at Oobleck.

"Well, spit it out, young Ruby. We do not have too much time to linger."

"Why is Azura still with you? I mean, why switch Yang with Weiss if you don't really need to?" She asked, looking between Yang and Weiss.

"I simply wished for him to be in the group I would be leading, Miss Rose." Oobleck replied. "Any further reason you might be looking for is something that remains between my orders for this mission and my thoughts."

Blake looked at Azura, a hint of suspicion in her eyes as she glanced at Oobleck and back to him. Azura shrugged slightly at her, not really sure what she was meaning.

"Oh...okay." Ruby said, nodding her head.

"Any further questions?" Oobleck asked, looking at them and finding nothing. "Good. Let us move out, then. We'll pause around noon for lunch, but that's all."

They swiftly exited the parking garage and the groups split off once more, with Blake whispering to Yang again, who looked back for a moment to look at Azura, before turning back again. Azura shook his head, unsure of the reasons for Blake to be suspicious at all, and moved to join Oobleck and Weiss.

An hour of walking through the ruined and cracked streets later, and they had been following old tracks of some Beowolves for a while now. Not much of importance occurred, leading to some small talk between Azura and Weiss.

"What do you think of this place, Weiss?" Azura asked.

She looked around at their surroundings before answering. "Dull, even drab." She frowned slightly. "But also disturbing. It doesn't feel right to be in a place that was clearly made for humans to be so devoid of humans."

Azura nodded. "Yeah, that's what I feel. It's just kind of creepy, really. And the Grimm almost run the place here, if the lack of actual animals means anything."

"Lack of humans...lack of actual animals...lack of ghosts as well?" She asked, looking at him from the side.

"Definite lack of ghosts. Still not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

"I suppose it just depends on why there aren't any." She said, waving a hand around. "With how your semblance works, I'm rather glad that there aren't ghosts."

Azura raised an eyebrow, confused. "And why's that?"

She rolls her eyes. "Because they could cause issues for you, you inept fool."

He went to frown, then ended up smiling slightly. "Does the mighty guide of us fools perhaps...care for me?"

"Hey, of course I care for my friends!" She said indignantly.

Azura chuckled. "I know, I know. Just teasing you." He chuckled again. "Besides, they wouldn't do much unless they realize that I can see them. Thanks for caring, though."

"Whatever." Weiss responded, slightly embarrassed.

Seeing Oobleck stop in his tracks ahead of them, looking to his side, the two of them dropped their conversation to jog up to him and look where he was looking. Boxes of supplies were scattered in the building they were looking at, a small store with broken glass windows. Azura frowned at the sight, though he wouldn't jump to conclusions of the White Fang truly being here in the city itself just yet.

"They're fresh. Whoever's these belonged to, they have not been here for long. The boxes hardly look like they were made and put together a week ago." Oobleck said, his own frown growing on his face. "You two search the building and the boxes for anything, I'll inform your leader's group of this. Stay here and wait for me to return if you finish searching before I come back."

They nodded, and upon receiving both nods, Oobleck moved off to look for Ruby, Blake, and Yang. Azura moved to step into the store with Weiss behind him, the entrance completely open with no doors hanging on the hinges. The morning sun lit up the interior, and they stepped around piles of rubble to look around. Looking through the small room at the back of the store only showed an empty room with an overturned desk and shattered computer. He returned back to the main part of the building, Azura found Weiss looking through one of the boxes, and decided to move to the one next to hers and talk while finding a good way to open it.

"Anything of interest in there, Weiss?"

"Not too interesting, sadly. It's just some packaged food and clothing." Weiss said, sighing. "How about you?"

Azura cracked the box he was messing with open, looking inside and feeling Weiss step closer to peer in as well. Outside of styrofoam and some canned food, it didn't seem to have anything of interest. Even as he looked through it more closely by taking cans out to look further it, nothing stood out to him.

"Nothing." They said in unison.

Moving on to different boxes, Azura let silence settle between them. After a few moments, though, Weiss spoke up.

"Would you happen to know anything about Yang's mood?"

He looks up for a moment, meeting her eyes, before shrugging and getting back to the box. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you were with her until we fully met up again last night. After you cleared the parking garage, Yang seemed conflicted." She explained.

Azura nodded. "Well, she just has a lot on her mind. Oobleck said some things, but he really does mean well." 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Azura closed the box he was at again, moving to another one. "I mean that Oobleck asked her why she wanted to become a Huntress. When she answered that she wanted some crazy adventures and that saving people along the way would be cool as well, he told her to think about her decision to become a Huntress in the first place."

"That's...odd. I don't personally share the same feelings as her in that regard, but she's allowed to have her own reason, right?" Weiss asked, crouching out of sight to open what he assumed was a smaller box.

"I don't think that's why he was doing it." He said, shrugging to himself. "It's a feeling I have. He's a fully trained Huntsman, so I feel like he would know a thing or two about how bad it can get."

"Kind of like making sure we're ready for this kind of life?"

"It's my assumption, yeah."

"What does Summer have to say about that? Or Luna, for that matter...if you can tell what she was thinking, I mean."

He paused for a moment, gripping the edge of the box a little tightly as he thought of those memories regarding Summer, and of Summer's team, and of Luna's death. Sighing, he spoke. "She understands fully well what this life entails, and so does Luna." He frowned this time, moving on to yet another box. "Otherwise they wouldn't have paid the price for it."

"Oh." Weiss said, and he could imagine the sideways glance of awkwardness she had on her face. "Sorry…"

He chuckled. "It's no issue, Weiss. It's not your responsibility to keep track of the dead people around me."

"I suppose."

Azura shifted the large box he just looked through to the side, simply looking to see if anything was in the center, and found three boxes that bore the very familiar glyph on his body. He frowned, speaking quietly.

"SDC dust crates."

A few moments of ruffling and footsteps later, and Weiss was by his side and looking through as well.

"That's...both good and bad." She commented.

"Good that we searched through and found it…" Azura started.

"And bad that it's SDC, likely giving evidence to our theory of the White Fang being here." Weiss finished for him.

"Correct." He said, moving forward and looking through the small boxes. "They're all empty as well. Any dust that was possibly in there is gone."

Weiss frowned. "Is this where all of the stolen dust was going?"

"Maybe. But it could still be all over the city as well." He responded. "Vale's city, I mean."

"Possibly, but that's all of the boxes ready, let's go wait outside." Weiss said, moving off without another word.

Azura sighed, whispering to himself. "Commanding as ever, Weiss."

He walked outside, seeing Weiss sitting elegantly on the ground. He smirked at the sight and sat down next to her, leaning on the wall of the store. The street before them was empty, and they could even see Oobleck talking to Blake and Ruby while Yang was on her knees and looking at what he assumed were Grimm tracks or something.

"Hey, Azura?"

"Yes, Weiss?"

She looked over at him as he went to look at her. "Do you think Headmaster Ozpin told Oobleck to keep you close to him? Like, he specifically mentioned his orders for this mission when Ruby asked why you were still with Oobleck. Sure, it might be just pure coincidence, but I just can't shake the feeling that it's something else entirely."

"It's unlike you to question authority, Weiss." Azura said, speaking jokingly.

She simply frowned. "I'm serious, Azura. It worries me."

He sobered up, becoming more serious in his answer. "Hey, he's the headmaster for a reason. There was something that happened in his office recently, so, for all I know, he's just concerned with me being out in the field."

"Something happened in his office?" Weiss asked, concern slowly dripping into her voice.

"Er…" Azura started to say, then whispered to himself. "Damn it."

"If you don't tell me what happened, I'll-"

"Tear me apart and force the answer out anyways, yeah yeah." Azura finished, waving her off. "There was just a brief moment where I got frustrated with something and Summer's voice apparently overtook mine in the moment. Nothing too big of a deal, I promise."

"I hardly believe you, but it can wait for a later point. When we aren't on a mission." Weiss said, and Azura could tell she wasn't a fan of his relaxed answer. "But, I do have a theory about the White Fang, if you want to hear about that."

"Always." He responded.

"The White Fang are present within the city and we just haven't seen them yet. For all we know, they only act upon their plans at night to remain hidden. The majority of the dust that they've stolen has been slowly getting brought here to be used for something." She said, waving her arms around. "I suspect that they're using the dust to find something here, since it could be used as a 'natural' bomb of sorts. Maybe there is some lost technology from the teams of scientists that worked here or something, I don't know."

"It's possible, I suppose."

"Either way, they need to be stopped." Weiss said, her eyes hardening. "They _will_ be stopped."

Azura nodded in agreement, looking back to watch Oobleck and Ruby talk and look their way. Weiss had a point, the White Fang had to be stopped. And even more, the person killing ex-White Fang members and causing arsons also needed to be stopped. How long before it was known that Neo was technically working behind their backs by getting him to help them try and get out of it? He frowned, feeling rather restless as he thought about it.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Finding a new place to set up camp turned out to be a lot harder than it seemed, if Azura could say anything. He was fully willing to bet that the parking garage just so happened to be him and Yang getting lucky with the spot and the fact that it was just a small group of Boarbatusks within it.

As twilight started to descend upon the city, twisted shadows creeping throughout the streets, Azura and Weiss followed Oobleck as he looked at the buildings lining the side for a place to set up their camp. By this point, they had reached over the halfway point towards the north wall, and Azura recognized some of the buildings to his sides. Turning down a street, Oobleck finally found a building he deemed to be good enough.

"Ah, that is the perfect place!"

Weiss looked around. "Uh...which one is perfect?"

"The abandoned hotel, of course! It will have plenty of space for us to use to our advantage, as well as very few entrances for a Grimm to come through!" Oobleck exclaimed in excitement. "We should use it to our advantage."

"Sounds good to me. Should we get Ruby and the others?" Azura asked.

"I shall go and collect them, yes. You two shall look around the surrounding area of the hotel in the meantime to secure it if any Grimm happened to be nearby." Oobleck stated. "Stay safe. I'll just need to find them first."

He was off once more, vanishing through an alleyway and leaving Azura and Weiss by themselves again. Azura sighed, turning to Weiss and raising an eyebrow, silently asking if she wanted to take the lead.

"I swear he's doing it on purpose." Weiss said with a scoff as she walked forward. "Leaving you and Yang the first time, and now us."

"Probably just worried about the other group or something." Azura defended the man, following at her side. "He is in charge of keeping the five of us safe, you know."

"I'm aware of that, Azura. Doesn't make it any less weird. What if we ran into a really bad Grimm fight?" She asked.

"Out of everyone here, we have some of the best tools to escape a fight. Only person better might be Blake." Azura responded as he looked at a building to his side, looking through the broken doors to see if anything was within.

"When did you get so smart with the whole 'knowing the abilities of your team' thing?"

"Around the same time you taught me to do it." Azura answered jokingly. "It's just something Ruby does when she talks to me about you guys, you know how she is."

"As her partner, I know fully well what you mean." Weiss answered sarcastically, though with a small smile on her face.

They continued their search in silence, paying close attention in case they heard or saw something. When they were on the backside of the hotel, they heard the sounds of scuffling and drew their weapons once they were able to clearly tell which building it came from.

They slowly approached the entrance of what looked like a store, prepared to react to anything that might come at them. The sounds stopped as they neared the entrance, and they stopped in their tracks and tensed up. Luna's tail was whipping back and forth as her ears twitched. A roar came out of the store, and Azura and Weiss jumped back with their semblances as two Ursai came barreling out of the windows, shattering them as they striked in front of them with their big paws. An Major Ursa came towering out of the building on all four legs, its massive size increasing as it stood up on its hindlegs and roared again.

"Luna, take the Major! Azura, right! I have left!" Weiss called out.

Flashing his semblance and revealing Luna, Azura grinned. "Always the natural leader, Weiss!"

The three of them charged forward, Luna dancing in the air around the Major to anger it and take its attention, which she did easily. With the main issue out of the way, Azura and Weiss were free to take on their Ursai.

Azura dodged to the side and ducked under a paw of the Ursa, stabbing up with his dagger into the Ursa's side and dragging it out to jump over the next paw that came flying towards him. Wasting no time, Azura landed and jumped back as the Ursa then slammed its paws forward into the ground with a growl. As he landed on his feet again, Summer's semblance went off and he flew forward the slice through its arm, causing it to stumble. Shooting one of the legs on the Ursa completely shocked it and it nearly stumbled over. It was still enough time for Azura to stab into the leg with the dagger and force the Ursa down, and he slid over its smoothed bone-like back, slicing at its neck with his sword and turning to stab through its neck and out the throat.

The dagger fell to the ground as the Ursa disappeared, and Azura grabbed it and looked to see if Weiss had finished up as well. She flipped up and into the air, summoning a glyph and pushing off of it to skewer the Ursa right through the head. She took Myrtenaster out and wiped the sweat off of her forehead to run a hand through her hair.

"Simple enough." She commented.

"Showoff." He replied. "Come on, Luna will need some help."

They ran into the store where Luna could be seen jumping around the air and giving small cuts where she could. The armored beast of an Ursa seemed to not even care about any damage that was being accumulated, roaring as he forced Luna away for a moment. Azura and Weiss aimed and shot dust right towards the creature before Weiss sliced in front of her vertically for some ice dust to go flying out in an arc towards the Major Ursa. Momentarily stunned, the three of them rushed in to chip at its armor to create more openings for them to take advantage of.

Black glyphs formed around the Major Ursa, slowing its movements and forcing it to take several more hits before Weiss called out.

"Can't hold it…" She said breathlessly, holding a hand to her head. "Out!"

Azura stepped back several feet while Luna swooped in and dragged Weiss out of the store. Azura frowned, but turned back to fight the Major Ursa on his own for a little while. He could only assume that Weiss was struggling with something, so he had to buy time.

"Come on, you big bastard." Azura said, flipping his weapons in his hands as he did so.

He dodged left, right, back, then left again as the Major Ursa slashed and slammed its paws in front of it. Jumping up, he sliced at the right paw of the Grimm, and it roared again in anger. Any more roaring would give Azura a headache at this point, but he continued his dodge routine anyways. He ran forward, slicing both legs of the Major Ursa as he slid between its legs and it stumbled ever so slightly as Luna came back in and sliced the other paw of the creature.

Despite their slowburn fighting style against the creature, it seemed to not grow tired or weaken even as they slashed and stabbed at its limbs. It roared again, slamming its body forward and completely taking Luna by surprise as she was flung out of the store by the weight. Things were not going well, Azura could tell.

"Where's Pyra when you need her, huh?" He quipped. "She nuked three of these bastards with her semblance alone."

He dodged the Ursa by jumping to the side as it barreled forward with its weight and crashed into the wall, shaking the entire store. Azura fired several shots of ice dust at the Grimm, slowing it down, but it wasn't until Weiss came flying through the store again that it truly slowed down. Her black glyphs practically froze the creature in place, and Luna came in as well.

"Break the armor!" Weiss called out, wincing.

Azura moved to stand in front of it, Luna at his side. Pulling his sword arm back and focusing aura into his sword, he breathed in to focus. Once he released his breath, the sword stabbed forward and completely shattered the armor on the Major Ursa's chest. Luna ran forward and stabbed her sword right into its chest and dragged it down through the stomach. She took her blade out and watched it fall back and slowly start to vanish, then turned to look at Azura.

He frowned but nodded, before turning around and quickly moving to Weiss, who looked more haggard than anything. He crouched down next to her and spoke.

"Weiss, are you okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Just...give me a moment."

He did so, waiting patiently as he saw her become less like she would drop and more like she would need a good nap. After a few more moments, she spoke.

"I'm good. I'm good."

"Are you?"

She nods. "Yes, Azura. I'm fine. Time dilation glyphs are rather taxing on the user depending on how they are used."

"What do you mean?" Azura asks.

"Fully freezing a big creature, such as a Major Ursa in a time dilation glyph has been known to give me really bad headaches for a minute or two." She explained, smirking. "I just got a little ahead of myself there. It certainly doesn't help that we've been getting in small scraps since coming to this place, now does it? I'm not exactly fresh on aura and energy."

Azura nods. "I know what you mean. There are a lot of Grimm here. A lot more than I even expected there to be."

Standing up and helping Weiss get up as well, they stepped out of the store and back into the dwindling sunlight. They looked around their surroundings and saw nothing else around them.

"You going to be okay to finish up this search?" Azura asked.

"Of course I will be, Azura." Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "What do you take me for?"

"Uh...a tired person in an area with more Grimm than necessary?" He responded.

"That would be correct, Azura." Oobleck said as he appeared from around a corner and into their view. "This area is a negative hotbed for Grimm of all sorts. There are lots of dangerous emotions that this place draws in, which brings plenty of Grimm with it."

"Oobleck!" Weiss exclaimed, moving with a surprising amount of energy again.

"Yes, that would be me." He said, nodding to Weiss. "Now, I have a question for you."

She looked over at Azura, and he frowned in a knowing manner. He was going to ask Weiss the same question he asked Yang.

"What question would that be, sir?"

"Why'd you choose to become a Huntress? You could have lived a rather comfortable life in Atlas with the power of your name alone. And with such a tiring semblance, despite the fact that it can be trained to lessen such a downside, why is it worth taking the risk?"

Weiss frowned. "When I knew I could fight for myself, it was all I ever wanted to do. My name is something that must be upheld with pride and honor, and it was the right thing to do. Prior to starting a business, the Schnee's always fought against Grimm and kept people safe."

"That is it, then? You do it because of a family name and history? For pride?" Oobleck asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I, well...yes. It's a legacy to uphold, and if it helps to keep the name cleaner, I will gladly take it." She responded.

Oobleck nodded. "I see, I see." He turned and started to walk away, not another word being said about it as he called out again. "The whole area is secure. Come to the hotel, I'm sure those three found a good spot to camp out in."

He kept going, and Azura turned to see Weiss staring at Oobleck, shocked.

She looked down, her blue eyes thoughtful. "Was it something I said?"

Azura sighed. "I don't know, Weiss. I don't know." He watched her for a few moments, then spoke again. "But doing it for family, no matter the reason, is good, right? It's a pretty good reason if you're asking me, since family tends to be close to each other."

Weiss sighed, speaking quietly. "Yeah, right."

Azura frowned again, wanting to say something, but also not wanting to step over any lines in regards to whatever was on her mind. He just nudged her shoulder, walking after Oobleck. "Try to not let it bug you too much, Weiss. Let's just get to the hotel."

She nodded, following him with a frown on her face. He turned back to look forward and bit his lip. Once was just Oobleck being Oobleck. Twice was hopefully a coincidence.

"_And three would be a pattern._" Summer said, filling in what Azura didn't want to think of. "_I suppose we'll find out tomorrow._"

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

The lack of progress was frustrating as Azura stepped out of yet another building that showed no sign of being the building that he needed to find for Ozpin. At the rate he was going, it would likely take at least a week to find the building that held whatever this Doctor Merlot had been doing in secret before the city was destroyed. The only issue with that was the fact that he probably didn't even have a week, assuming everything went perfectly well with the mission.

He knew that assuming everything would go perfectly with the official mission wasn't the best idea, but considering the fact that the more unofficial mission from Ozpin ran on the idea of being here for the mission with Oobleck, he had to assume his time was shorter than he needed.

"_Take a small break, Azura. I'm as frustrated as you are, but we have to take this one building at a time._" Summer said gently, as if breaking bad news.

Azura frowned, sitting down at the top of the steps that he originally went up to get inside the facility he just exited. "_Yeah, I know that. But the sooner we get this done, the less likely we are to be questioned or even found out. Ozpin did say to do this only with you and Luna._"

"_And I still don't like it. Makes me nervous._" Summer muttered.

Azura looked up and down the street, seeing a Beowolf scamper across his sight in the far distance, not noticing his presence.

"_I know, Summer. I'm not the biggest fan of it either, but I feel like...I don't know._"

"_You feel like there's something to gain out of it?_" Summer asked. "_Knowing Ozpin, there is something to gain. But what will the cost be?_"

"_We'll take it one step at a time, Summer._" Azura said.

"_Together._" Was Summer's only response.

Azura took out his scroll, both to check the time and to check off the building behind him from the list of possible buildings. The list was still long, but so was the time he had tonight. They had stopped to make camp much earlier tonight than yesterday, mainly because they had the full day to investigate compared to just a few hours.

"_The left corner of the north district is down, and we're coming up on the halfway mark, it seems._" Summer commented.

"_True. Still feels much too slow for my liking, though._" He says, standing up and stretching. "_We should keep moving while we can. We only have about an hour before Blake's watch ends._"

One more glance to his scroll suggested that the next building was actually nearby, so he jogged through the streets, careful to avoid Grimm at any cost. The streets were all starting to look the same to Azura, but he paid it no mind as he slipped through a dark alleyway and back onto another moonlit street.

The crumbling walls of buildings littered the streets with debris and allowed Azura some cover should he need to hide from something. Whether or not the White Fang were here, Azura couldn't afford to get into a fight. Especially if he was alone against a whole group of Grimm.

The building he was heading towards finally came into sight, and he slowed up as he approached the entrance. It was dark and, if not for his mother's blood, he wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't see at all without some light source.

"_Still a bit weird to see so clearly in the dark to me._" Summer said, light amusement in her voice.

"_You get used to it._" Azura responded as he stepped into the building.

The main room had papers and other things scattered among it, and Azura had to step a bit cautiously to not trip over anything. It was clearly a lobby once Azura kept looking around, with a central desk and an inactive terminal that he guessed might have shown information about the place. While it would have been convenient, Azura wasn't shocked to see that the entire place had basically no power.

Moving past the desk, Azura made his way towards the door in the back. It had a sign on it that read "Employees Only", which Azura took as a good sign for where to find some sign of this Dr. Merlot being here. He opened it easily, the door having no resistance, and started walking down the hall to see where it led.

The hall eventually started to open up and branch out into different halls, with a broken sign on the wall showing that they all led to offices of sorts. Azura looked between the four halls laid out before him and chose to keep going straight, making sure to enter each office that he could. They were either empty, held nothing of importance other than storage, or were completely blocked off from the inside.

Office by office, Azura felt more and more like nothing would be found. No office seemed like it would prove if Merlot had been working within it or not, and he was quickly running out of offices in this hall. And if this hall held nothing, it was likely that the others wouldn't have anything either.

He stepped before the final office, this one reading "Head Researcher". Not particularly caring for what this person researched, he opened the door and looked within. Similar to other offices, it had papers all over the floor, and less similar to those offices, a toppled over bookcase with books strewn around it. As Azura looked around the office, he took notice to the desk that seemed rather unscathed among everything.

He stepped around it and pushed the chair out of the way to inspect it. Noticing a drawer to the right side, he moved to open it and saw only one folder within it. The folder itself was large, though, and the name on the top of it caused Azura to grab it and place it on the desk.

"_Documented Research Projects, huh?_"

"_Seems promising. Take a look._" Summer said.

Azura did so, sifting through the papers in it, the neat writing on the papers faded and slightly hard to read because of that. But it was enough for Azura to be able to see a theme within all of it.

"_Whoever this researcher was, they clearly knew Merlot._" Azura said, some excitement creeping into his system. "_Summer, I think we may have found the building we're looking for!_"

"_We might have, yes. Keep reading, it might suggest what they were up to and where._" Summer suggested.

Azura nodded and kept looking through the papers. "_Mentions of Merlot, research into Grimm that was kept lowkey and only with specific people, as well as…_" He paused, frowning deeply. "_Experiments? On Grimm and other more...undesirable subjects._"

"_That's horrifying._" Summer said softly, her sadness apparent. "_How do such people exist?_"

Azura's grip tightened for a moment as emotions flared. Anger and sadness combined as he thought about what was being inferred in the paper. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply, then exhaled quietly and shook his head to continue reading.

"_Those that failed were simply used for other things. But the Grimm were so impressive, but only very few were able to properly withstand the augmentations._" Azura said, before skipping ahead through the papers. "_The basement levels in this building were perfect for our needs, and Doctor Merlot was quick to set up his private offices down there. It seems as though he plans to migrate his research directly into the building, smart for someone who wishes to keep secret experiments going._"

"_Basement levels...interesting. There should be a staircase nearby that'll take us to where we need to go._" Summer said.

When Azura made no move to leave, Summer spoke again. "_Azura...I know what you're thinking about. And it's not worth it to dwell on the bad actions of others._"

Azura sighed, placing the folder down. "_It just feels so horribly wrong to not think of it. What about all of those people who died because of this?_"

"_Azura, please do not think about it too much. I don't want to see someone else fall into a savior complex._" Summer said, emotion in her tone.

Luna placed her hand on Azura's wrist, taking his attention. She then places her other hand on his chest and taps her fingers on it. He became less tense and aggravated, not even noticing that he had become tense in the first place, and breathed in and out a few times as he started to smile.

"You haven't done that in years, Mother." He said quietly. "In the mood for old habits, now?"

She simply smiled, nodding towards the door.

"Yeah. Let's go find this basement."

Azura stepped out of the office and moved to go back to the intersecting hallways, looking around again. One side led to more offices, while the other kept going. Deciding to go the long path, he turned and jogged down the hall, finding that it led to a larger room. Looking around and seeing a pair of metal doors with signs around it saying 'Off Limits', he walked up to it and made his way past them to find that he was in a stairway.

"_Convenient._" Summer commented.

Nodding in agreement, he made his way down the stairs cautiously. He kept going down for a while, and the chilly air that wrapped the city grew frosty as he descended. The last set of stairs were completely collapsed and forced Azura to jump down and roll. As he came up and looked around, the dark room was starting to completely fall apart, which did not sit well with Azura.

"_I'd rather avoid death by a collapsing building, I have to say._" Azura muttered.

Exploring the room started to tell Azura that not many people came down here, if the surprising lack of any of the equipment or normal decor from the rest of the building meant anything.

"_Privacy would be a top priority, it seems._" Summer said. "_Look along the walls, there might be another door._"

Azura moved along the walls, running his left hand along it as he went. After a minute or so, a large metal gate was found and Azura took a few steps back to look at it. If there was a door meant specifically to keep people out, Azura would say that this would be the one.

"_We aren't brute forcing past this, are we?_" He asked.

"_Not at all, Azura. Not at all._"

"_And we're clearly going to need power for this to even work. Any ideas?_"

"_Maybe try the terminal next to the door? This might not need power at all assuming the dust powering it hasn't gone dry. _" Summer said.

Azura approached the terminal that was embedded in the wall and right next to the door. He rubbed his hand along the screen to get the dust off of it. After tinkering with it and not seeing any chance for it to come to life, he frowned.

"_Well, we have the right building, at least. But this isn't going to play nice, I feel._" Azura said, thinking.

"_Not that these things ever go according to plan._" Summer replied with a short laugh. "_And the terminal has a keypad. We'll need the code once we get it running anyway._"

Azura nods. "_Right. Do you think the same office might have the keycode we need?_"

"_It could. But we need to get back to the hotel, Azura. Blake's watch is ending and we need to at least be there before she returns and sees us missing._" Summer said urgently.

Azura took one last look at the terminal before turning away with a sigh. Summer had a point, and he couldn't risk being caught in the act. He jogged back over to the staircase and jumped with Summer's semblance to make it back up. Luna flew up after him, and with that, they made their way back up to get out of the building and back onto the streets.

"Ten minutes going to be enough, Summer?" Azura asked aloud, keeping his tone quiet anyway.

"_More than enough. Let's go._"

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Azura has finally made the progress he wished for. Only to be roadblocked by other things and time, yes, but progress is progress. Chapter 34 will be a lot of fun to write, that's for sure!**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	34. Mountainous Misfortune

**This chapter took a frustratingly long amount of time to finish up, but it's finally here. Sorry for taking nine days to write it up, but hey, it was planned as a longer chapter either way. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 34: Mountainous Misfortune**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 13th**

**Friday**

**Dark & Cloudy**

Oobleck was a weird person, Azura felt. When they first got here, he wanted everyone to be close to each other. The day after that, he and Weiss were left alone for an extended period of time compared to the others twice. And now, on the third day of being here, despite his claims of wanting groups of three that were near each other, he and Blake were told to search the central city park that they came across while Ruby, Weiss, and Yang moved around it to search the perimeter surrounding it. Oobleck himself stayed at their temporary camp, his reasoning being that he needed to list their remaining supplies and be their central point to return to.

Which also contradicted his point of wanting Azura to stay with him, whatever he meant by that. Not that Azura minded either way, but it was odd for the man to constantly go back and forth on these things. One thing that Azura could agree on is that they were on the right path for sure. Oobleck had told them once they made it to this part of the city, where they were just below the northern district that Azura was becoming familiar with, but also above the centerpoint of the city itself. Which made sense to Azura, because the increasing amount of Grimm tracks and signs of people being here certainly aided Oobleck's assessment that they were indeed on the right path.

Azura glanced over at Blake for what was likely the seventh time in the past half hour of searching the park that was larger than Azura thought it would be. The grim look on her face and her twitchy fingers made him wonder what was troubling her. They hadn't been doing much else besides walking and keeping an alert lookout on both sides as they swept through the place, one path at a time. The green plants and vegetation was a much needed difference compared to the dull and grey look of the city around it, though the overgrown nature kept the constant reminder that this was an abandoned city.

"For an increased activity of Grimm in the area, we haven't even seen any." Azura said, trying to see how a little conversation with Blake would go.

"_Might as well see if we can figure out what's troubling her._" Summer said in the background.

"Not wrong. Makes you wonder where they all went." Blake replied, her eyes darting to and fro with the shifting noises as small animals ran about in the foliage.

"We'll find them at some point, hopefully not when it's just the two of us though. That would be...both an unfortunate and interesting fight, wouldn't it?" Azura said jokingly, glancing over at her as he spoke.

"I suppose it would." Blake answered shortly.

Azura raised an eyebrow by the curt response, letting silence come back in again. Blake was certainly one of the hardest people to get a read on, for all of the people he knew, and Azura considered himself to be pretty good with that sort of thing.

Then again, Corgen and Neo existed.

"_From what you've told me of Corgen, Blake kind of reminds me of him. Perhaps Corgen, Blake, and Qrow should all meet up._" Summer said, amused with her idea. "_As for Neo, perhaps not. She's uh…_"

"_Mostly dangerous despite having worked with her before, if only lightly?_" Azura asked.

"_Yes. Most definitely dangerous._"

"_Either way, they're both secretive, just like Blake always is. Makes it hard to fully know if something's bothering her._" Azura said, looking at Blake.

"I'm fine, Azura." Blake said, keeping her eyes in front of her.

"You don't sound so fine, Blake." He responded.

"And?" She said back at him. "We have a park to search, if you've forgotten."

Azura sighed, shaking his head. "No, I have not forgotten. But we have also made some great progress, and are even ahead of schedule if I had to guess."

"A guess?"

"Yes, Blake. A guess, or an assumption."

Blake stopped walking then, sighing. "You want me, the bookworm, to talk."

Azura smirked. "Maybe. You look like you could use a talking buddy. Outside of Yang, that is. You've been spending a bit of time with her as it is."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Come on, then. We can afford a short rest, where we can talk."

Azura nodded and silently followed after her as she walked off, deciding to give her a bit of time to think. Something he knew about Blake was that she didn't like being pushed into a corner, so giving her some space before asking his questions would likely be better overall.

They approached a small building within the park, looking to be a storage of sorts. Probably housing materials to take care of the park before the events leading to the evacuation and fall of the Mountain Glenn expansion. Azura shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and sat down next to Blake, one knee raised and resting an arm on it, while Blake did the same with both knees and arms.

"What's wrong, Blake?" Azura asked, looking over at her as they leaned against the wall of the building.

"It's Oobleck. Or...well, your current track record with the man so far." Blake said after a moment, keeping her gaze on the ground in front of her.

"My track record?"

"When we first got here, when we were first split into groups, you and Yang were paired together with Oobleck. By nightfall, Yang was conflicted with something and you were acting like nothing could be done about it at the moment." Blake explained. "The morning after that, you stuck to Ruby like glue and tried to keep away from Yang, and I found it odd that she said she appreciated the space."

Azura tilted his head a bit, thinking about that. He hadn't thought about really doing it, he just figured Yang would like some time alone to think.

"_Glad to have...helped? I guess._" He thought.

Blake frowned, then continued speaking. "Then, the same thing happens to Weiss. But only after being in the same group as you and Oobleck. And, when Yang asked her before my watch, she told us what had happened. Both her and Yang have been questioned on their reasonings to be Huntresses by Oobleck, and something was said that hurt their confidence in their reasons."

"Oh…" Azura said, a frown crossing his own face. "And now you think you're next."

"It's currently two for two on it happening, Azura. I don't think I am next, I know I am."

"You're afraid." Azura said calmly, stating it plainly without accusation.

Blake glanced at him for a moment before looking away. "I never said that."

"Blake, it's not wrong to have some fear in you." Azura said with a smile. "You told me yourself that we can turn that fear into a strength, back when I first agreed to help Neo."

"Yeah...I did say that." Blake said quietly.

"And hey, even if you are afraid, and even if I may have a bad track record for it, I can help you out with Oobleck." Azura continued, trying to sound encouraging. "You don't need to be questioned, you know."

"Not like it would matter." Blake replied blandly. "I'll still be asked, and I bet you and Ruby will be asked the same thing soon after I am."

"Then we confront him about it. What's stopping us here and now if you really don't want to be asked about your reasons to be a Huntress?" Azura asked.

"I'd rather just deal with it myself." Blake muttered.

"But you don't need to. What purpose does it serve if you're scared?"

"I said I'll deal with it!" Blake hissed, her eyes snapping to his.

"Why are you always so damn stubborn?" Azura asked, annoyance tugging at his heart. "I'm just offering an option for you to take."

"And I've made up my mind already! Why are you always so, so…" Blake tries to finish her sentence, growling. "You're so fake!"

"_I'm_ fake?! At least I don't hide and stay away from people!" Azura retorted, Summer's ever present temper really not helping him as he spoke.

Blake's anger dropped as a more lonely looking emotion flickered on her face before it flattened out and she looked away. Azura felt Summer's guilt from her temper mix with his own, and he sighed and leaned his head back against the wall and looked up at the dark clouds. They remained that way for a few moments before Azura spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Blake. I know that you just need time to start to trust people, and I really do try to keep it in mind. I just lost my temper for a moment."

Blake sighed quietly. "I'm sorry as well. You, my teammates, even team Juniper and Pyra to an extent, all of you have really helped me with starting to reach out for others. I didn't mean it when I said you were fake. Out of everyone, you've been one of the most open and honest ones I know." She finished, an almost sadly nostalgic look in her eyes, as if thinking of something in the past.

"I know you don't, Blake. Are we still good?" Azura asked, a smile readily making way onto his face.

She met his gaze, nodding. "Yes, we are." She stands up, looking down at him and holding a hand for him. "We should continue moving."

He nods, taking her hand and pushing up to stand with her. Even with her more flexible and lithe body, Blake pulled him up with relative ease. She walks off, and Azura follows after silently. About a moment later, Azura almost felt like nothing had happened in the first place, not that he minded. Though, he did hope that his words about Oobleck made its way to her.

"_Azura?_" Summer asked quietly, guilt still evident in her voice.

"_It's fine, Summer. I mean, Blake seems fine with everything, and I was in full control of my words. I should be the one feeling guilty, not you._" Azura replied to her.

"_No, it's not that. Something's just become more prevalent to me ever since Ozpin mentioned it. He's right about what he said, that you don't really have such a heated temper. Sure, almost everyone has a temper, but you typically don't snap at people, save the rare time with Pyra and before you ran with Blake, there was Pyrrha._" Summer said. "_And well, I was actually known for my temper, whether it be in a protective manner or a 'let me help you, you stubborn bastard' way._"

Azura frowned. "_Is this about Ozpin's words about that balance between us?_"

"_...Yes._" Was her only response.

"_Summer, I know that it concerns you, but I really don't think it's as big of a deal as it seems. I can assure you that I very much still feel like myself, and even if your emotions do spill into mine sometimes, my emotions have also spilled into yours. Honestly, I would expect that to happen. You might be dead, Summer, but you are very much alive to me._"

"_I...Azura._" Summer says softly, a warm tone in her voice. "_Thank you. That means a lot to me, more than I thought._"

"_Hey, if we're going to be sharing a soul, I'll make sure you at least feel comfortable._ _It's the least I can do._"

"_Even though you sent Luna off into the sky?_" Summer asked, a hint of playfulness in her words.

"_Yes, even though I did that. We both know that she is good for an aerial view._" Azura replied, rolling his eyes.

He was about to talk further before he felt Blake stop him from walking any further. Her eyes were narrowed and staring off into the foliage and treeline. He frowned, but turned to look the same way. It was hard to see anything, but it did seem like something looked off within the thick foliage.

"Boxes, about seventy meters away in front and to the right. Hidden between the trees and foliage." She said quietly.

Azura shifted his eyes and noticed the boxes she was talking about, nodding. "See them."

Without another word, they walked forward and into the bushes and trees, off of the main path of the park, alert and hands near their weapons. Stepping over tree roots and pushing a bush here and there out of the way, they finally got close to the boxes. Not seeing anyone near them, they pushed through the final bit of foliage to a small clearing, where the boxes were placed. There were several boxes of various sizes, some stacked and others scattered, but they all bore the Schnee logo on them.

"Dust boxes." Azura stated aloud.

"Just like the one you saw with Weiss yesterday, though that was hidden with other boxes." Blake said, frowning. "But this is a much larger pile, all of them likely being made for dust."

"Agreed. Time to search." Azura said.

They separated, going one box at a time. The first one was really easy to open, and it became clear to Azura that they had already been opened, maybe several times. Not destroyed-by-a-Grimm kind of open, but by the hands of a person. That was already enough to draw suspicion for him, and that suspicion only grew as he saw the interior of the box. Plenty of empty sockets for where dust would have been, and the ones that still had dust in it were cracked and no longer usable.

As Azura went around to the other boxes that Blake hadn't gone through, the same thing could be said for all of the boxes. Any usable dust that had been in these boxes were now gone and nowhere to be found.

"Are these...from the same docks or waterfront, whatever it was, that we fought in?" Azura asked aloud.

"I think they likely are. It would be recent enough to make that a fair assumption, I mean." Blake replied. "And you know what that means."

"White Fang." Azura said.

"Correct. Though, if they truly are here as we suspect they are, that makes me concerned that we haven't seen any of them at all." Blake said, a frown on her face.

"Maybe they're moving at night?"

"Among the Grimm? Unlikely."

Azura tried to keep the smirk off of his face. The Grimm that came at night weren't exactly any smarter than normal. "I suppose so. Well, what do you want to do?

"The smart thing would be to report it to Oobleck." She muttered. "We really should do that."

"I agree, Blake. We should go back now, see if everyone else is back yet while we're at it."

She nodded, once more taking the lead as Azura followed her back to the trail they had been walking on. From there, they began to jog and quickly make their way back through the park. They hadn't fully searched it, but most of the center areas had been covered by them, and Ruby and the others should have been able to search the edges of the park alongside the road.

Walking back through the park was a boring affair, but it also felt much quicker than the first time through. Which made sense, considering the fact that they didn't have to slowly check every nook and cranny they saw.

"_Always an upside with you. Reminds me a bit of Ruby, honestly._" Summer commented.

Azura rolled his eyes, simply gazing in front of him. "_Nothing wrong with it, either. I mean, being an optimist has to be good when surrounded by Grimm!_" He said jokingly.

"_I expected nothing else from you._" Summer replied dryly.

From there, it was a quiet walk back. As the entrance they came in from slowly came into view, the rusted gates bent out of shape, the small building beyond it showed Oobleck bent over a table of sorts and shifting his hands about.

"Looks like Oobleck moved a bit closer since we left. Only a building or two closer, but still." Azura said.

"Less talking and more walking, Azura." Blake joked lightly. "We have reporting to do anyway."

"Yes, Ma'am." Azura replied sarcastically.

They stepped through the hole within the gate, crouching down slightly to get through, then made their way across the street. Oobleck glanced to the side, noticing them, but remained focused on his task once they entered the building he was in. With not much else to do other than to wait, Blake leaned against the entrance and looked outside and Azura leaned on the wall and watched Oobleck.

Once the man was set on a task, there was little to take his focus away. Unless it was an attack from Grimm or something on short notice, they could only watch. Azura would know, having seen the man crouch in front of a plant for over ten minutes in silence as he studied it. Sure, it had a Grimm track in it, but Azura felt like it hardly needed to be studied for that long in the first place.

Blake was tapping her foot lightly on the floor, possibly from impatience or nervousness. Azura didn't dare try to guess Blake's emotions, considering her rather closed off personality. Either way, Azura let her be and continued waiting. It was only a minute longer before Oobleck sighed and stood straight, turning their direction.

"Azura, Blake. I assume you've finished your search?" He asked. They both nodded, so the green-haired man continued. "Excellent. Did you two find anything in there? Grimm or Grimm tracks? Maybe more of those suspicious boxes from the other group that is likely here?"

"A whole set of boxes that were made for dust." Blake said. "A good amount of the slots were empty in each box, but there were also cracked dust crystals and duds. All of them had any usable dust taken out of them, and I very much doubt that the Grimm decided to take it."

"While amusing, I also doubt the idea of Grimm stealing specifically the dust that was good. That would also confirm the reason for the boxes that were there yesterday." Oobleck stated to himself, hand on his chin. "Which would confirm our theory that the White Fang are here."

"But how? I'm sure we would know if we saw them, and I can tell you that none of us here have seen any White Fang members since we came here." Azura said, voicing the only flaw of the theory.

"That is what puzzles me as well. No trace of them in the day, and the nighttime is too risky with the free-roaming Grimm about." Oobleck said, sighing. "I do not wish to travel at night, but it might be a necessary risk. Only as a last resort, though. Thank you, both of you."

"Well, that's all we have to share." Blake said. "Now, I need to find my team and group up with them. Are you going to join me, Azura?"

"Wait." Oobleck said, just as Azura went to speak. "Miss Belladonna, there's something I want to know."

Blake's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she turned, her hands twitching slightly. "Yes, Doctor Oobleck?"

"Why are you here? Or rather, what made you decide to be here? To be a Huntress?" He asked, his own eyes on her with what seemed like a curious look.

"To better the world and make that betterment permanent." She responded cautiously.

"By doing what?" Oobleck stated.

Azura watched, wondering if he should interfere. He knew that he told Blake he would intervene if she wanted him to, but again, he wasn't sure if she wanted it. With that in mind, he kept silent.

"I'll stop the White Fang's more violent ways and return them to a peaceful cause." She answered.

"How, Miss Belladonna, do you plan on achieving your goal?"

"I…" She looked away, unsure. "I don't know yet."

Oobleck nodded. "Take time to think about that. But remember, time will not wait for you too long. You may go."

Blake left without a word, haste in her step as if she wanted to create as much distance as she could. Azura moved to the door to watch her, frowning, then turned back to Oobleck to ask a question.

"What are you doing this for, Doctor? And why have I been the witness to all of it? You've questioned Yang, Weiss, and now Blake."

Oobleck looked at him, a small frown on his face as he pushed his glasses up. "One of the biggest parts of being a Huntsman is that they must know why they are a Huntsman. Everyone has their reason to become one, but there are too many young ones who believe that it will be full of fun and adventures, full of splendor and excitement. Even some who are there for a darker reason." He sighs. "Those are the ones who end up dying the earliest, Azura."

No words came to Azura at that moment, and for once, it wasn't because of him. His throat choked up and the lonesome silver eye seemed to water up. Oobleck had turned away, but Azura knew that the man was simply trying to give a bit of privacy. And he appreciated the act, for Summer's sake.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Waiting for people to truly fall asleep before he could move was a boring affair, but Azura had enough to think about, that he could easily avoid that boredom. He might have an urge to get moving to push away, considering how close he was to possibly getting past that door into Merlot's lab, but he tried to not think about it too much. Which brought his thoughts to Oobleck and the others. He had his reasons, Azura was confident in that, but he wondered about his methods. Blake, Yang, and Weiss were plenty okay with dealing with such thoughts, he felt. Considering who they were, it made sense to him, but he really had to question if Oobleck was going about this the right way. What if they faltered mid-combat or just became rather down and negative? In a ruined city chock full of negativity and covered in Grimm, was that the best idea?

Summer had also been quiet since Azura asked Oobleck why he was asking team RWBY questions they had no answers to, which worried him a bit. Lifting his hand a little, he could almost feel the shadow of her own movement, signifying that she was still actively ready for anything. But the lack of her remarks and comments felt weird to Azura. If he wasn't preparing to move out into the city very soon, he'd try to talk to her about it. He glanced over at Luna, who was actually sitting on the ground for once, meditating next to him with her tail lightly tickling his leg, and smiled slightly at the sight.

He waited a few more minutes before he slowly got up and looked around. Oobleck was against the wall, hat tilted down to cover his eyes as he slept, and everyone else was sound asleep on their sleeping mats. Ruby was on watch, and with her sharp eye, Azura was worried about being spotted. Sure, he had the excuse of thinking too much or that he couldn't sleep, but Ruby was much too caring to leave it at that. With that, he snuck towards the side window that was away from the door. There was shattered glass on the ground, but Azura could avoid it easily enough. The window was sizable and Azura slipped through and out to the other side without much issue.

The issues only began once he got outside.

"Gotcha."

Azura visibly jumped at the voice that whispered next to him. He turned quickly and was met with Ruby's combined look of playfulness and suspicion. It was at that moment that Azura realized that he had truly been caught, and that there was no real excuse to get him out of whatever she had for him.

"Uh...hi?" He quietly said instead.

"Hello, Mister 'I just got caught red-handed'." Ruby replied quietly. "We need to have a talk, come on."

She led him back to the side of the rundown building where the actual entrance was and sat him down next to her against it. Azura sighed lightly, just waiting for her to begin the questions as Luna watched in light amusement.

"Are you tired?" She asked.

For the first question, Azura wasn't sure if that was how one should start. "No, not too tired, I would say."

"Then you want to explain how you look like you've walked all day and then ran all night?" Ruby asked next.

"Uh…" Azura looks away. "Okay, you got me there. I guess I do feel a little ragged."

Ruby nudged him, getting him to turn his head and look at her. "What are you doing, Azura? I've seen you sneak off in the middle of the night twice now, and I thought I could catch you this time."

"What? I haven't done that, Ruby."

"You have, Azura. I've seen it with my own eyes." Ruby said, before looking down awkwardly. "I've...been having trouble sleeping, so that's why I was the one to do this. The others don't know yet, because you seem to be trying to keep it secret, but I couldn't just pretend I wasn't worried."

Azura frowned. "I'm sorry I worried you, Ruby. I know that this isn't the first time you've felt that way because of something I did."

She shook her head. "Don't make it about me, Azura." She sighed, her eyes filling with suspicion. "What are you doing at night, Azura?"

"It's just a bit of exploring, I promise." Azura quickly answered.

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Something tells me that isn't the case. You've been a little too jumpy and a little too sneaky to be doing just that."

Azura became silent as he looked at her, unsure of how to respond to that.

"I'll let you go if I can come with you." She said, clearly trying to get him to say yes just to stop her.

Mild panic swept through him, both his own and Summer's. "Let's not be rash, Ruby."

"Why not?" She asked, pushing a bit closer to him.

Azura sighed, leaning back as he responded. "It's dangerous. Or well, it is likely to be rather dangerous compared to this." He held his hands up, trying to calm what he expected as her response. "But it's almost done, I promise. Summer and I need to do this though."

Ruby looked down and away, not seeming to like that answer for one reason or another. When she looked back, a hint of what Azura thought was anger remained in her eyes.

"Then, at least promise me that you'll explain what you're doing tomorrow, during your watch." She responded. "It has to do with Ozpin, doesn't it? And...and mom as well."

Azura frowned at how small she suddenly looked after that, like she was a bit more delicate than before. "It does, yes."

"Okay. Okay…" Ruby said, turning and shuffling through her bag while Zwei laid next to it, sleeping. She turned back to him with a small plastic container in her hand, a medical symbol on it. "Take this with you, please. I know we have aura, but if something catches you by surprise or your aura breaks...I'd feel much better knowing you could patch up any potential wounds, Azura."

As Azura grabbed onto the container in her hand, Ruby placed her other hand on top of his and spoke again. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

Azura kept his hand in place as he spoke. "Yeah, I'm sure. We both are."

"I'm asking you, Azura. Not you and mom, or even Luna. Are _you _sure?" Ruby said firmly.

Azura nodded slowly, not sure why it mattered as much as she made it seem. "I am, Ruby. I agreed to do it."

Ruby nodded back, letting go and letting him take the container, which he put away in an inner pocket. "You'll tell me what this is about tomorrow, right?"

"I will." He responded, being met with her nervous look. "I promise, Ruby."

She finally smiled. "Good. Now go, you have a time limit to follow. And I'll give you some extra time to get back."

"Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate it, especially your concern." Azura said, moving to stand up. "I'll be back."

"You better be."

Azura smirked, then waved at her as he started to jog off. Once he made it across a few streets, he jumped up onto the roof of one building with his petal jump, as he and Summer decided to call it, and started to make his way to the very same building he had been in last night.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

"_What are we going to tell Ruby?_" Summer asked as Azura walked into the building they found the door to Merlot's lab within.

"_Well, the truth. But not the full truth._" He replied.

"_Good, great._" She replied, a bit of warmth. "_That would be preferable. I'd say that telling her what we were told to do would be good enough, but avoid talking about anything else beyond that. I don't want her involved with Ozpin if we can stop it._"

Azura nodded as he continued, Luna just behind him and watching his back. "_Agreed. Both for your sake and for secrecy's sake. I might not like lying at all, but if Ozpin says he only asked me because of you, then it really has to be dangerous. As her friend, I'd rather keep her out of such things, especially with how important she is to you._"

"_You do too much for me, Azura._" She said dryly.

"_It's the least I can do for the woman in my head._" Azura retorted, rolling his eyes. "_I have to make sure to stop the possibility of you possessing my body._"

"_Not a comforting thought, I say. Ozpin seems cautious about such a thing actually happening._"

Azura simply shrugged. "_To be fair, Ozpin also said that my semblance froze the soul bond or whatever._"

"_I suppose that's true._"

Azura entered the hallway that led to the offices he needed. Though, once he made it back to that crossroad hall, he continued onwards to the same office he had originally found evidence from. The thought behind it being that the keycode or password he needed would be there, since he also found out about the door itself from there.

He entered the office, and made his way to the desk to search through the drawers again. Sheets, papers, and folders coming out as Azura took them out to read. Medical reports, official documents, and several sheets of taxes all left to sit within the desk for however long they had been left here. The years on the documents were of interest to Azura, and led to him talking to Summer while he looked through anything he could find for a possible chance to find the code he needed.

"_Do you think Ozpin was here when the city fell? I mean, some evacuations had to have taken place before it got too bad, right?_"

"_Any Huntsman or Huntress within the area was brought there for evacuations, from what I know. It was too long ago for me to be put here, since I was younger than you when this all happened. Honestly, I'd wager that even Oobleck wasn't here for it._" She replied. "_How long those evacuations lasted, though, I'll likely never know._"

Azura frowned. "_Probably better to not ask in this case._"

"_You won't hear me argue about that. Some questions are better off left alone._"

A few more minutes of searching in silence finally yielded something for them in the form of a note, even if the thing that was found was more disappointing that Azura hoped for.

"The code lies within the back left of the middle offices." Azura said, sighing. "What's that even supposed to mean?"

"_The...middle offices? Do you think it has to do with the crossroads of the hall?_"

"_But one side is just leading into the stairs…_" Azura said. "_The other...oh!_"

"_Exactly._"

Azura grinned, moving out of the office and back through the hall, this time turning left and away from the stairway leading to the basement of the building and down the other hall with the offices. The note said that it was the 'back left' in particular, so Azura looked in the back of that hall, eventually coming across an office door he could easily make his way into.

Upon entering the office, he was met with a mostly barren room, as if it was untouched by time itself. It was dark, Azura noted, from the lack of any window at all, though that didn't bother him, and there were plenty of boxes within the room, suggesting that it was used more as a storage than anything else. Digging through the boxes provided stacks upon stacks of folders all labeled with a name. The office he came from was from a 'Doctor Derrick', so he started by trying to find any folder with that name. It took a while, seven boxes to be exact, before he actually found it. And from there, all he had to do was open the folder to find the code he was looking for.

"Not exactly very well hidden, now are you?" Azura joked quietly. "So, the keycode is '6-1-2-9', huh? Simple enough."

"_I doubt this doctor was very stealthy to begin with._" Summer said. "_Well, that's one piece of the puzzle down. Now, we have to get that terminal to work._"

Azura nodded, leaving the office and making his way back through and started to make his way down the stairs that originally brought him to the basement floor. He was glad that the stairs and offices were close enough to each other, if only to save himself some time. Dropping down after the point where the stairs were collapsed, Azura approached the door and looked it over again before glancing at the terminal.

"What's your deal, huh? Generator? Power cord? Uh...scroll charger?" He asked aloud, throwing out a few ideas before turning to Luna. "Actually, can you look around for an emergency generator of sorts, please?"

Luna nodded and moved off. From there, that left Azura and Summer to think over what else could possibly power the terminal.

"_The tech here has to be at least twenty years old, but considering how it looks like Atlas tech, I have to wonder if that even means anything._" Azura said. "_Any ideas?_"

"_The generator or emergency generator would be likely. I doubt it would be any wiring in this case, beyond being connected to the door. Atlas does like flexing that about their tech, so that's why I say such a thing._" Summer replied. "_But, beyond that, it gets more complicated. For all we know, it might actually be something inside the terminal. Lightning dust does have its uses for powering technology._"

"_We should at least check, then. You think a dagger is enough to open up the terminal? Well, the unorthodox way._"

Summer laughed lightly. "_For an unorthodox way, it works. Let's open it up._"

Azura stepped towards it, noticing Luna come back and shaking her head once she saw him look at her. Nothing found, then. He crouched down right in front of the terminal, took his dagger out, and started to try and dig the blade into it just enough to try and pry open the screwed panel that blocked access to the inside of the terminal.

He grunted and applied more pressure, feeling the panel loosen and eventually swing open for him. He grinned, then started to look inside and slightly shifting things out of the way to try and see better.

"_Well, let's assume it uses lightning dust to power it. What am I looking for specifically?_" Azura asked. "_Time to show off that tech knowledge of yours, Summer._"

Summer answered him as he continued to look inside it. "_It will be a small container of sorts, usually in the form of a cylinder. Probably black in color because it'll have rubber on the outer layer, and it'll have some tubes going through it for the dust to leave the container and power whatever it's trying to power. I wouldn't worry about causing any damage to the terminal by unplugging the tubes, since the dust would need to be replaced at some point either way, which requires taking it out._"

Azura nodded, narrowing his eyes to try and see through the wiring and other such objects until he eventually felt his fingers touch the rubber than Summer talked about. He felt further down until he hit the tubes, slowly but surely unplugging the tubes within. He then took the cylinder out of the terminal and cracked it open to look inside. There was a cracked and destroyed dust crystal inside, which Azura took out and discarded to the side.

"_Well...you think a crystal from the lightning battery in the dagger would do the trick?_"

"_Obviously._" Summer replied, a teasingly sarcastic tone in her voice.

Azura nodded, quickly taking his dagger and then detached the lightning dust battery from it. Opening it up, Azura took out one of the lighting dust crystals and inserted it within the cylinder, then closed the cylinder again. After putting the battery magazine back into the dagger and putting it away, Azura then placed the cylinder back in place and moved his hands to insert the tubes again.

Once that was finished, a noise was heard within and some lights started to blink from within the machine, giving Azura some hope. A moment later, and a light blue screen came to life above him. Azura stood up, grinning in excitement.

"_Perfect!_"

Summer let out an airy laugh. "_Went better than even I expected. Atlas tech does indeed hold up over the years._"

The screen displayed everything rather simply. A small clock with the time on it, blinking with an 00:00 because the machine had been 'rebooted', per say. Beneath it, a digital keypad waited patiently next to four lines that suggested it required a code to get in. Azura smiled again, moving to tap his fingers on the keypad, and inputting the code he had found. The screen beeped in affirmation, and soon afterwards, a series of clicks were heard and the door that Azura had been waiting to open slowly started to open up.

He moved to stand in front of the door, simply waiting for it to stop opening to be able to see inside of it. Once the door was open, Azura walked past the door and into the next room, instantly taking note of the dim lights within.

"There's...power?" He asked aloud, confused. "How?"

He continued inside, turning his head as he took in the room. It was large and perhaps a bit cleaner than he thought it would have been. Carts were strewn about with metallic tables that connected into the ground lining the sides and leaving the central area open. The tables themselves had tools and papers, notes, and the occasional pen. It made Azura feel like this place truly had been untouched by time.

The floors and walls were made of concrete, the only change among them being what looked like containers with glass to see through into it. Azura frowned as he noticed them, even if there was nothing within any of them. It didn't even seem like a breakout, which suggested that he was truly alone in the area outside of Luna, but he still didn't like what those containers might have been used for. The papers suggested Grimm and even human experimentations, but Azura shook the thoughts out as he continued.

Concrete pillars stood tall within the lab, as well as several side rooms and hallways leading away from what Azura could guess was the central room. He continued towards the back wall, not seeing any door that truly suggested that it was the 'office' of sorts he needed to find, and he really didn't want to explore down the halls.

"_This place gives me the creeps._" He said.

"_You're telling me. This place reeks of scary things._" Summer responded.

The back wall had nothing for him to even look at, so he took a look on both sides, and decided to turn left and walk down the hall closest to him. The dim lights flickered as he entered the hall and exited the central room, causing him to look around warily as he turned another corner and was met with an open door that led to an office. A capital 'M' was on the door, spurring some curiosity from Azura.

He entered the office, and to his surprise, noticed a flurry of papers all over the ground and on the desk. Picking one of the pieces of papers up, he looked it over. It was a simple document about a Beowolf, with some hasty scribbles as notes and a small signature, reading 'Dr. Merlot'. Azura let the paper drop from his hand as he looked around.

"_Found it._" Summer said, taking the words right from him.

Azura moved among the papers, moving to the desk itself. Sifting through the papers there, he came across several documents of 'Grimm Augmentation' and 'Testers', all of whom happened to be human. The familiar prickle of anger came to Azura, but he quickly discarded it for a more serious demeanour shortly after. A moment later, he finally found a short note that helped him find his way within the office.

"Any and all documents from here must be placed on my scroll by nightfall, time is very short now." Azura said, reading it aloud. "Time is of the essence, for the voice I hear is not a patient one."

"_Voices? Was he driven mad?_" Summer wondered.

"_Maybe. Let's see if he left his scroll behind, shall we?_"

Searching the desk after clearing the papers off of it yielded no results, and neither did searching the insides of the desk. Azura frowned, then moved to place papers on the ground away as he searched the ground in hopes of finding the scroll he was trying to find. When that also ended with him having no scroll in hand, Azura sighed and stood up to inspect the room again.

"_Only thing I can suggest is to check the closet._" Summer commented.

With no other idea in mind, Azura moved to the closet and placed his hands on the handles to open it. Once that was done, however, Azura was not just met with a scroll. Azura jumped back almost against his will as Summer screamed and he tripped on a loose paper and fell onto the ground. A glassy globe with the familiar black mass and bones of Grimm attached to it rolled out of the closet and fell down a few inches onto the floor, limp tendrils poking out from behind it.

Whatever it was, it terrified Summer. Azura could tell, with the way his left arm wouldn't stop shaking profusely. Terror dripped within him as he grabbed his arm, and he tried his best to not drown within Summer's emotions in this circumstance. He had no idea why this unmoving object scared her so, even if it was clearly connected to the Grimm in some capacity.

It was odd to feel so terrified, but not be the one that was terrified. He had no reason to fear something that was for intents and purposes, dead. There was nothing psyching him up or tripping him out, it was all Summer who was feeling these things.

"_Summer! Listen to me, my voice!_" Azura mentally called out to her, hoping she would hear. When she didn't respond, he called out again. "_Summer, come back to me! I'm right here, listen to me!_"

"Luna...please." Azura weakly called out, his voice quivering slightly as his voice slightly overpowered Summer's. "She needs to be calmed."

Luna frowned, quickly moving to sit down next to Azura and embrace him. Again, the sense of being an oddity came over him. The hug wasn't for him, it was for the woman in his head. They sat there for a few minutes, until the sense of panic finally washed through him and left. Azura could still feel Summer's presence, but there was a wall of embarrassment and defensiveness around it, as if she was guarding herself away from being active.

Azura remained where he was as he tried to figure out how Summer was feeling, but he had no time to do so as a loud crash and the shattering of glass completely broke his train of thought, the dim lights turning red as an alarm started to sound off. He quickly got out of Luna's embrace as she moved to the door to look out into the hall. Azura quickly grabbed the scroll, pocketed it, and moved to get out of the room. Something had found out that they were here, and Azura knew he had to get out.

He ran down the hall, and a bellowing roar was heard as the scrapes of something metallic slammed into the floor, more crashes being heard. A larger than normal Beowolf started to come charging towards Azura, large spikes growing out along its mostly covered body, tipped green as its black body softly glowed green, and large metallic blades extended from its forearms with metal gear strapped along its arms as well. Azura cursed aloud and he turned down the hall and sprinted towards the central room of the lab as the large crashes and roars of the clearly mutated Grimm gave chase shortly behind him.

Feeling nothing from Summer, Azura was left with his own sprinting to carry his weight. He slid into the central room, feeling the hot breath of the Grimm behind him as he ran towards the entrance, suddenly noticing just how large the central room really was.

"Luna, go and start closing the door!" He yelled, seeing her shake her head. "Do it! I'll make it!"

She silently growled at the idea, but started to bounce in the air with intense speed over to the door as she slipped through it and to the side. Azura jumped onto the table in his way after dodging a large swing of one of the massive Beowolf's paws, the pillar between them exploding from the force applied to it, concrete going flying and completely tripping Azura up as a large chunk sliced into his left arm, and he tripped over in surprise from the hit. Rolling with the momentum, however, allowed Azura to roll off of the table and stumble back into a run as the mutated Beowolf slammed past him, crushing the metal table he had been on.

The door was starting to close now, and Azura ducked down as more concrete debris flew over his head. It was just a dead straight sprint at this point, and Azura hastened his speed as much as he could as he ran towards the door. The massive Grimm roared again, practically popping his eardrums, and the thundering of the creature was heard as it started sprinting towards him again. The door was about 70% of the way closed as Azura closed in on it, and Azura screamed out as he entered the final stretch.

"Summer!"

Despite the silence that came after that plea, petals fluttered around him as he jumped, a massive speed boost throwing him through the door and he pulled his aura up while covering his face with his arms as he crashed into the opposite wall left side first. The doors clicked shut before denting and the shock of a massive weight pushing on it caused a shockwave throughout the basement Azura was back in. He staggered to his feet, hearing another roar come from the other side of the door, and Luna quickly met up with him to help him move back towards the stairs and even lifting him back up the crumbled set of stairs. As his vision cleared and the adrenaline kicked back in, he quickly moved with a small limp back up to the surface.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura simply rested and tried to regain his composure as he sat inside of a building near the base that they set up, slightly shivering as he remained shirtless. Luna was making use of the medical supplies that Ruby practically forced him to bring, and Azura was almost glad to have been caught before he entered the lab tonight.

"_I'm sorry...my emotions probably clued that Grimm to our position._" Summer said quietly.

Azura shook his head. "_It's fine, Summer. You don't need to explain yourself or apologize._"

"_I shouldn't have reacted like that._" Summer replied. "_It's been over a decade…_"

"_Summer?_"

She stopped talking, sighing. "_It's nothing. Please, don't ask._"

Azura frowned. "_Alright, I won't push you on it. But, I'm here for you if you need it, Summer._"

She didn't respond, but as was becoming normal, he could feel that she appreciated it. Instead, he focused on Luna, watching her wrap the bandages. He winced as Luna tightened the bandages and finally tied them off. "Thanks."

She put the bandages and the small bottle of hydrogen peroxide back into the plastic container, and ran a hand through his hair in response. Azura took the scroll he got from the lab out, staring at the slightly cracked screen as he tried to power it up again, once more not getting any response. He sighed and put it away again, then pulled his shirt back on before putting his sweatshirt back on, hiding the bandages on his arm.

He got up from the ground, plastic container in hand as he exited the building he was in. Luckily for him, his aura should heal the cut within the next day, so the bandages were more for a safety measure more than anything. Having been close to the actual building they were camping out in, it didn't take long for Azura to simply return back to Ruby, hand her the container, and crash inside to sleep. It had been a long night, and Azura didn't particularly care if he woke up looking like he ran a mile in under a minute.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Nothing to say here, beyond the fact that the next chapter should not take as long to write and get up. At least, that's what I am aiming for.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	35. Mounting Trouble

**Ugh, I hate being sick. It made this chapter take a few days longer to write, mainly because it was hard to focus on writing in the first place. Now that I'm decently recovered, I'm glad to be back into it!**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 35: Mounting Trouble**

**.**

**.(Chapter start)**

**.**

**September 14th**

**Saturday**

**Stormy**

Storm clouds lingered in the air, darkening the sky as Azura and Ruby walked the streets of the northern district, and the twilight sky beyond the clouds struggled to streak through them. It was getting late, but there was at least another hour or two of exploring that could be done, as was their task of the day. With increasing evidence of White Fang presence at Mountain Glenn, their objective had fully shifted towards trying to find the base they had set up.

The six of them were split up into groups of two, all within the right side of the northern district to look around and investigate. Weiss and Oobleck were along the north wall, searching high and low for the currently 'fresh' tracks, as he put it. The most likely place to find someone from the White Fang supposedly. Blake and Yang were the buffer between that group and Azura's group, searching for anything regarding the missing dust crates and where they were possibly going.

As for Azura and Ruby, they were tasked with two things. Grimm watch, which was simply to make sure nothing major made it past them and towards the north wall. And tracking down what Oobleck believed might be the location of their base. Something about them wanting to be closer to the rest of the city, for the dust being moved, while also in a easy to defend location, backed against the northern wall and the jagged cliffside running down the east side.

Azura found it almost ironic that the one part of the northern district he didn't check outside of a brief overview was likely the same area that the White Fang was working out of. Though, for all of the grand theories and possible evidence backing it up, Azura and Ruby had found absolutely nothing that would confirm it. The more they traveled, the more Azura was sure that they were either on a wild goose hunt or somehow never ran into a single Grimm or White Fang member. Looking around at the dull and faded colors all over the ruins of the city again, he almost hoped that he'd see something different, or living. He could go for killing some Grimm right about now, though he wasn't sure if that was because of the itch of his healing wound as his aura worked its magic to heal or because of Summer's simmering anxiety under the surface. He sighed quietly, looking over at Ruby, who was quiet and almost stiff, like she had something to say, but lacked the desire or confidence to speak up.

Summer's mood killed his common desire to speak up and fill the silence with conversation, so he didn't push it. Luna was keeping aerial, acting once more as a bird's eye view, forcing Azura to just watch the streets and keep walking with Ruby as they followed some tracks they had picked up along the way, agreeing with few words that they were definitely the tracks of boots. Though, it was frustrating to have these tracks come up dry as well. As Azura stopped at Ruby's side, hearing her sigh as they came face to face with just empty boxes of dust, he finally spoke.

"This...is going nowhere."

"We've made progress, at least. We've kind of searched the entire city up until this point, outside of the other parts of the northern district of the city." Ruby said, optimism in her voice. "We just have to get back on the right trail."

Azura nodded slowly. "Well, you aren't wrong, I suppose. Do you think the others have found anything?"

Ruby tilted her head. "Probably? Maybe?" She shrugged. "I'm sure Oobleck would group us all up if anything concrete was found."

"That, or to collect us before night falls. Wouldn't want to have one of us out here, knowing him." Azura replied.

Ruby sighed a little heavier than he expected, though he didn't comment. "We'll find out sooner or later, Azura, that's for sure." She lightened up a little, smirking. "Would certainly be a lot faster with scrolls, if we had connection here. Or if Oobleck didn't take my dog for the day…stupid fresh tracks..."

"I do apologize for that, then, Miss Rose. But I'm sure you understand the importance such an animal has in hunting down something with tracks!" Oobleck said from behind them, continuing once the two of them turned. "That is, if we were able to find anything. Which, so far, we haven't. But that isn't why I am here, now is it?"

Ruby turned around, talking as Azura did the same. "Then, what are you here for, sir?"

"Well, to collect you, as you said! I have already set up the other three with the task of a suitable base near us for the night, and thus came to get you two myself." Oobleck explained. "Though, your partner did take young Zwei from me, unfortunately."

Azura frowned. "So, nothing found yet?"

Oobleck shook his head. "That would be the case, yes. But, with enough patience, we will find something! It's the very course of history that backs this idea up."

"Right." Azura said dryly.

"Are we going to meet up with them, then?" Ruby asked.

"In a bit, Miss Rose. The three of us are going to check along the cliffside one last time before heading off. Now, shall we?"

Azura and Ruby nodded, following after the man as he turned around and started down the street. The cliffside was rather closeby, having been the tail-end of Azura's and Ruby's route already, so it did not take long to make it there. Once there, Oobleck kept them more on the street than close to the cliff, starting to talk again.

"Care for a theory on the White Fang here, you two?"

"Go for it." Azura said, while Ruby nodded in affirmation.

"Right. Well, in regards to why they are working out of this part of the city, I've already spoken of. Easy to defend, better to bring dust through, and is farthest from the Grimm it seems. All great things for them." He said, before coughing into his hand. "But, the lack of progress on our part is what draws my interest. It is not like we don't have tracks and even some evidence of people recently being here, but we've been put on a wild goose chase. And why?"

"Uh...cause they don't want to be found?" Ruby said, sounding like she was asking her own question.

"Well, yes. But they are clearly evading us in one manner or another." Oobleck replied. "Yes, we have not explored every nook and cranny of this part of the city, but surely we would have seen more than some dust crates and dry trails at this point, right?"

"Supposedly, yeah." Azura said.

"Which brings me to my main point, then! They are traveling by another means while having some way to cover their tracks after a certain point. My theory suggests that they are actively cutting their tracks off to throw off anything that might be trying to track them. Also, they are likely using the cover of night to make it seem like the tracks are old and eventually go dry."

Ruby crosses her arms over her chest, thinking. "Meaning that the wild goose chase is caused by a time difference? I guess that would make sense."

"Disguising tracks by any means is a classic trick to throw off possible pursuers. Now, I have not decided that this theory is accurate, but it's possible." Oobleck said. "The night tends to have more Grimm out and about, so I won't have us travel at night just yet."

Azura wasn't so sure on that point. His night travels had very few Grimm along it. But, it was also possible that he either got lucky or that the speed of which he traveled happened to help him avoid Grimm even more.

"Does that mean we'll just be going over dry tracks the entire time until then?" He asked, feeling a small bit of frustration lace his words.

This mission was starting to remind Azura of Ozpin's words about the Nightmare. There were only so many tracks they could follow before they either lost track or came upon a dead end.

Oobleck looked at Azura quietly, thinking for a moment. "Come with me, you two."

Oobleck led them along the path further, eventually turning and coming closer to the edge of the cliff between two buildings that were mostly collapsed. They sat there silently for a few moments before Ruby spoke up as massive Elephant Grimm started walking in a group far away from the cliff.

"What are those Grimm?!" She said excitedly. "Wait, wait...it's a Goliath, right?"

"Correct." Oobleck said, leaning against the wall and watching the Goliaths cross through.

They were big, and definitely heavy. The familiar black, red, and white colors of all Grimm made it seem more intimidating to look at, considering its size. Their sides, face, and the front of their legs were covered in the white bones, protecting the main parts of their bodies. The large trunk and ears were left exposed, but Azura was confident that they could easily be used as a weapon if needed. Red lines covered the mask like paint and made their orange eyes seem much brighter than they probably were.

Her hands twitched towards the sheathed Crescent Rose on her back instinctively. "Let's kill them."

Oobleck laughed. "While I do appreciate the enthusiasm, we shall not be killing those Grimm with such simple weaponry. And they will not attack us anyway."

"They won't?" Ruby asked, looking at Azura in confusion. He simply shrugged, waiting for Oobleck to speak again.

"No, they will not. There are Grimm out there who are not mindless. Or rather, they are not mindless anymore." Oobleck explained. "Those Goliaths are likely decades old and possibly older. They know what will happen if they attack or even kill a Huntsman, so they avoid it at all costs."

"Then, what are they doing out there?" Azura asked, finally speaking.

"They are waiting. For something drastic to happen." Oobleck said, a rather serious edge to his voice. "And for now, we'll simply watch until that day." He turned to face them again. "Sometimes, it is better to watch and observe powerful Grimm than to hunt it down without anything else. Wouldn't you agree, Azura?"

Azura tilted his head. "Well, I guess so, yeah. But some Grimm really should just not live longer than can be helped. Better to get rid of a problem than to wait for it to explode in your face."

"You may have a point, but you cannot suggest just going to kill something you likely don't understand at all." Oobleck replied. "Especially Grimm who are very old and cunning. How does that sound?"

Azura frowned. "You're going to ask me the same question, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." He said, nodding. "The headmaster has informed me of what you asked for help with, Mister Heart. Considering the age of this...Nightmare Grimm, he was right to come to the person who studies history like his life depends on it. And, upon asking further on why you were looking for this Grimm, I have to ask. Your reason for becoming a Hunter is to kill this Grimm for some revenge or vengeance?"

Ruby looked between them. "Wait, what? What is that Grimm? And Azura wants to kill it? I don't understand."

Oobleck raised an eyebrow. "I figured you didn't tell anyone, but I'm sure that Miss Rose would be one of the only people you'd trust with such personal info."

"Are you telling me you wouldn't want to kill such a horrible Grimm?" Azura asked back, ignoring his comments and Ruby's presence for now.

The green-haired historian sighed, playing with his hat for a moment. "A fair point, I suppose. Even I would agree that this Grimm should be dealt with if possible. Let me rephrase the question, then. Is that even what you truly want?"

Azura went to answer, hesitating for a moment. "Of course I want that. It killed...it killed her."

"That isn't answering for yourself, Azura. You have answered for Luna. What do you wish to protect as a Hunter? Our job is to save and protect others, not to destroy and kill."

Azura grimaced. It seemed that Oobleck did not care much for his privacy in front of Ruby. He didn't like the fact that he seemed to not care that the man did so anyway, but he was glad that, out of anyone to find out, it was her.

Azura looked over at Ruby as he thought of a proper answer to get Oobleck off of his case, his thoughts straying to her. It was odd, to feel attached to someone he's only known for a few months, though he figured that having been on a few crazy adventures with her and her team was the reason behind it. Still, Oobleck's question simply brought his attention to Ruby, a feeling of protectiveness coming over him as he did so. He shook his head as she looked at him, a confused look in her eye, breaking eye contact. He didn't have much time to continue thinking before Oobleck called his attention again.

"Do not think like Summer Rose, Azura. Think for yourself, why are you training to become a Hunter? What is it you wish to protect instead of destroy? Do not think for one of your living friends or ghostly companions, think for you."

Azura frowned, trying to come up with an answer. A few seconds pass by before he answers quietly. "I want to protect the memories of others that I've seen."

Oobleck was quiet for a few moments, and Azura glanced at Ruby, who was watching him with a warm look compared to her previous confusion. He wasn't sure how that made him feel. His eyes snapped back to Oobleck once the man sighed.

"Perhaps I was wrong to think that you had something going on within you." He commented quietly, almost unable to be heard by Azura and Ruby. He spoke up more clearly after that. "Think on that answer, Azura Heart. What makes you say that with such confidence without having it be your first answer?"

Oobleck turns then, walking off and dropping the topic entirely. "Come along, you two. I'm confident in knowing where your team has set up camp for tonight."

Ruby started to walk off as well, before turning to Azura and smiling for a moment, waiting for him. Azura sighs, then starts walking to catch up with Ruby and they begin walking next to each other. He had a lot of things to think about.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura adjusted his sitting position on the second floor of the building they were camping in, slightly bored with the empty area he was watching. He was within the shadows of the building, unable to really be seen from the moonlit streets, so he wasn't too worried about being spotted. Despite having a lot of thoughts on his mind, he distracted himself by trying to get Summer to talk about her own issues.

"_I know you aren't in the best mood, Summer. I can feel it._" He said, deciding that honesty would work best. "_And I want to help you with what happened last night, but I can't do that if you continue to try and push down your own emotions._"

Summer sighed quietly, her presence becoming stronger than she had been all of today. "_Don't you have enough to think about before worrying about the dead woman's problems?_"

"_Maybe, but that doesn't stop me from making sure you are feeling good._" Azura replied. "_I can't help but worry when I felt the very terror you felt when we saw...whatever that thing was. Summer, whatever happened last night, I don't want you to hide from me._"

"_No, I should...it's better that way._"

"_Is it, though?_" Azura asked, continuing to talk. "_Summer, I just want to help you. I don't care that you're dead, you are still alive to me._"

"_Sharing your body hardly counts, Azura._" Summer said dryly, not seeming too talkative.

Azura quietly sighed aloud. "_I'm not going to argue semantics, but you are still here on Remnant with an actual form that I can interact with. That's living in my books, even if it makes no sense._"

Summer didn't reply, leaving Azura to speak again.

"_Something about that Grimm terrifies you, Summer. I just want to help._"

The simmering anxiety that he felt from Summer almost seemed to boil over for a moment before she spoke. "_That Grimm is directly connected to what killed me, Azura. Even years later, I cannot stop the fear that such a creature gives me._"

Azura frowned at her words. "_It...is?_" He asked, unsure of how that could be the case.

He could still vividly see the memory of her death like it had happened yesterday, and the only truly terrifying thing he saw was the person who killed Summer. He couldn't really see what connection was there.\

"_Yes, it was._" Summer said, sadness in her voice. "_They might not be the strongest Grimm...I mean, even an inexperienced Huntsman would be able to kill it, but I can tell you that it was there at the time of my..._" She trailed off, letting Azura fill in the blanks.

"_But, if it isn't so strong, how did it lead to your death? Does it have to do with that woman that was there?_" He asked, continuing once he received no response for several seconds. "_Summer?_"

"_Drop it, please._" Summer pleaded in a whisper. "_I don't want to talk about it._"

Azura hung his head, feeling annoyed with himself for being unable to do anything. It was frustrating to Azura to be unable to help someone he considered close to him, and even more frustrating to feel what the person he was trying to help felt in their weakest moments and still be unable to do anything.

He was spared from his thoughts once more by the sound of someone walking up to him, and he turned to see Ruby looking down at him. He turned away then, not saying anything when she sat down next to him, deciding to keep the silence as long as he could. Which wasn't long at all.

"Did you always intend on not saying anything about the fact that you were hurt?" She asked.

Azura sighed, not looking at her in favor of watching the still empty street before him. "I didn't plan on saying anything, no. Aura tends to be a good enough healer in these cases."

"Show me." She said.

Azura blinked a few times as he processed her words, turning to her. "Excuse me?"

Her silver eyes shone with a stubborn determination. "Show me that it's healing properly."

Azura shifted back a bit to create a bit of space. "I'm sure you are well aware of how aura works, Ruby."

"You're right, I do." Ruby said, the stubborn look in her eye becoming more serious. "But I don't care. Show me that you're fine."

Azura stared at her, raising an eyebrow. "I can't fight you on this, can I?"

"Nope." Was all she responded with.

Azura sighs, shrugging his sweatshirt off and rolling his sleeve up, the bandages once more exposed. Dried blood was on it, but it was not enough to make it seem really bad. Ruby inched closer, and brought her hands to the knot keeping the bandages in place.

"Can I?"

Azura nodded. "Go ahead. You wanted to check, no?"

"Shush you." She replied back.

Untying the knot, she quickly unwrapped the bandages and inspected the cut along his left arm, running down his forearm and just past his elbow. She took a few moments to look, the cut seeming to be faded and mostly healed, then leaned back and sighed.

"There, better?" Azura asked jokingly.

"I just wanted to make sure it was fine." She defended.

Azura smiled. "I know, Ruby. I appreciate it." He responded as he brought the sleeve back down and pulled his sweatshirt back on.

"How did it happen?" Ruby asked as she gathered the dirty bandage and stuffed it somewhere in her bag. "You did promise to tell me what you are doing."

"What I _was_ doing. I managed to finish it up last night." Azura corrected.

"Well, what were you even doing? Why? And even then, why keep it secret?"

Azura looked back out onto the street as he answered. "I was searching for something that Ozpin knew was likely here. It was data on someone's experiments and other things, Doctor Merlot's."

"And Ozpin asked you to do it? Why not get a certified Huntsman?" Ruby asked.

Azura shrugged. "Huntsmen are busy people, Ruby. It's likely that no one else could do it, but he saw a chance within me and Summer."

"Then he only did it because…" Ruby said, trailing off as a real hint of anger entered her voice. "He only did this because of your situation, didn't he?"

"We don't know that, Ruby." Azura said, trying to move on from the question. "Anyway, I found the door that led to the lab, but it was locked and unable to be opened. A terminal needed to be powered up and a code to be found, so I ended up searching for those after a while. Once I was inside, which was last night, things just...happened. I got hurt, but I likely found the data. It's a dead scroll, but I have reason to believe that he had his data on it."

Ruby seemingly let her slight anger go, asking another question. "What's so important about this data, though?"

Azura shrugged again. "I don't know. But if someone like Ozpin wanted it, I certainly feel like it's important."

"Not wrong, I guess." Ruby muttered. "How'd you end up getting hurt, then? You make it seem like it just accidentally happened, and your cut has healed enough to make it seem ambiguous."

Azura wondered how much he should be telling her, but decided that telling her about the Grimm wouldn't be a huge problem. Though, the reason for it finding him would be told a little differently.

"I ended up setting an alarm off, I think. I'm not too sure." He began. "But, there was a Beowolf in the lab with me, and it wasn't normal at all. It was much larger than normal, probably a foot or two bigger than an Ursa Major, and most of its body was covered in bone-like spikes as well as having the normal bone armor that all Grimm have. And those spikes are clearly infused with something to make them deadlier, if I have to guess. To top it all off, its forearms had some mechanical thing attached to it, with metal blades extending from its body." He finished, shuddering for a moment. "It was pretty scary, I have to say."

Ruby's eyes were wide from shock, as if not expecting him to give an answer like that. Her shock was quickly replaced with an entirely different emotion, and she moved forward to grip on him as she spoke.

"Is it chasing you? Is it out in the open now?" Ruby asked, her voice fierce and protective. "Answer me!"

Azura shook his head, placing his hands on her forearm. "Shh, calm down." He waited a moment before talking again. "I'm fine, Ruby. It's trapped down there still, and I doubt it's going to get out with the kind of door that the lab had. It might be big and strong, but it's not going to get out anytime soon."

Ruby's moment of emotion wore off, and she looked away in embarrassment. "Sorry, I got a little carried away for a moment. I didn't mean to yell."

Azura shook his head. "It's not a problem, Ruby. I'm aware of your streak for being a bit protective of people at times. I deal with it all the time with Summer, even."

The slightly tense atmosphere subsides after a moment, and when Ruby speaks again, it's quieter. "I know Oobleck never asked me compared to everyone else...but I sometimes wonder if I should follow in my mom's footsteps and become a Huntress. But everytime I think of that, I end up just feeling like it's the right thing for me to do."

"The right thing to do?" Azura asked.

Ruby nods. "I feel like I need to step up and replace her. It's dumb, but I don't know. It feels normal to me."

Azura knew that Ruby's words didn't sit well with Summer, feeling the urge to say something. "Well, you aren't Summer Rose, Ruby. There's only one Ruby I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way." He said with a smile. "I know Yang would say the same thing, Weiss and Blake too."

Ruby smiled back. "It's nice to hear that. Thank you."

"Anything for a friend."

They sat in silence for a while after that, the shattered moon still rising in the sky, bright as ever. About an hour afterwards, Zwei walked in and started to whine in front of Ruby. She rolled her eyes, getting up and talking.

"I'll be right back. Zwei's gotta…"

"Yeah, I know." Azura said, getting up as well. "I'll come with, I suppose. Look around the other side of the street while I'm at it."

Ruby shrugged. "Works with me. Let's go."

They walked through the building and quietly stepped past their sleeping teammates as Zwei followed them, making their way through the door and out into the streets. They observed both ways, not seeing any movement at all, then Ruby officially let Zwei through.

He wandered off to do his business while Azura and Ruby stepped further into the street, hands on their weapons, ready to pull them out if needed. They kept quiet and observant, simply waiting for Zwei to finish. When he was done, however, he kept his head in the air, sniffing. Ruby approached him, speaking quietly.

"Come on, Zwei. Let's get back inside."

But the dog wasn't listening, running off with a short bark and nothing else. Ruby stepped back in surprise, before quickly moving off after him with a quiet shout. "Zwei!"

Azura sighed, running off to follow after them. They went down the street and across through an alleyway, making it out onto another street as Zwei kept running through the street and into another alleyway, Ruby disappearing into the shadows of the alley after him. Azura kept up his pace, running after her. Towards the other end of the alleyway, Ruby had Zwei in her arms, crouched down.

When Azura caught up to her, he took notice of her tense posture and crouched down. He slowly moved around her, hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there, and moved slightly forward to look out onto the street. Two Faunus in White Fang garb were walking down the street, talking to each other.

"Well...that's not good." Azura whispered.

"But it can be." Ruby whispered back. "Follow them?"

Azura shifted back and looked at her. "For now, yes." He smirked slightly, despite the serious situation. "Ready?"

"Always." She responded.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**This chapter definitely feels shorter compared to last chapter, given the drastic length difference, so I hope you all don't mind that.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	36. All Roads Lead To

**This chapter took a lot longer to write than I honestly thought it would, but it was a lot of fun to do, so at least there's that. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 36: All Roads Lead To...**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 14th (Same night)**

**Saturday**

**Stormy**

The stormy sky started to culminate as the streets darkened from the moon hiding behind dark clouds, forcing Azura to keep a hand on Ruby in case her sight failed her. They couldn't fall too behind or they would lose the two White Fang guards that they were tailing, and that would mean yet another dry trail, and Azura refused for that to happen. They sneaked through the street, hiding behind buildings as they slowly tailed in order to avoid detection.

Azura was confident that they were following a patrol route for the guards, starting to sense a pattern as they moved through the streets like there was a set path, making a radius around something. Which, if that was true, meant that they really needed to not lose the two guards. This was a chance that wouldn't pop up again, and both Azura and Ruby understood that, if their patience meant anything.

They pressed against the wall of another building, and Azura peaked around the corner to see what was going on, while Ruby was just behind him and Zwei kept silent and tense. What Azura saw made him narrow his eyes, though remain where he was.

The two guards were talking, though Azura couldn't hear them. The taller one waved an arm and stood out on the street while the other vanished into the building next to them. Once a minute passed without anything occurring, Azura felt Ruby's breath on his neck as she whispered to him.

"What's going on?"

Azura pulled away from the corner for a moment to whisper back to her. "One of them went into a building for something, the other is outside still. I'm not sure what they're doing, though."

She nods, responding quietly. "Do you think they are almost finished with this patrol or whatever?"

Azura nodded. "Figured you picked up on it. And my guess is that they're almost done. It's been about a half hour."

With that, Azura turned to look back over the corner of the building to see what was happening. The guard that had gone into the building was back and carrying a box with him now, talking to the other guard again. After a few moments, they started walking again as more dark clouds took to the sky, a rumble of thunder coming in. Azura glanced at the sky, hoping the storm wouldn't start soon. As the guards got a safe distance away, Azura tapped Ruby on the shoulder and started to move forward again, sticking to the shadows casted by the buildings, a hand running on the building.

Following them was easy at this point, now that Azura could see a somewhat set pattern that they were walking in, but he still remained cautious. They turned left down another street and Azura quickly switched over onto the other side of the street and moved swiftly to the building that rounded the corner onto the three-way intersection, then looked over the edge. The two guards had turned yet another left corner, and Azura frowned at the odd change in direction.

Though, it suddenly made sense why that was the case. They were now moving directly towards a building that looked much grander compared to the rest of the city, though just as uncared for and crumbling. It was a train station, Azura thought. The guards moved to the side of the building and then started going down the stairs that were next to it. Azura smirked, glad to have some trail that didn't end with nothing of use.

He turned to Ruby, still speaking quietly despite his excitement. "We found where they came from."

Ruby's eyes lit up at the news, though she also kept quiet. "That's great! We need to keep following after."

Azura shook his head. "You should go back and inform everyone else. I'll go after them."

"What?" She asked. "Alone? No."

"Ruby, someone has to get everyone else. But we can't also just not have some preliminary scouting in a place like this. Remember, these are Faunus people, Ruby. Most of the ones at night will have night vision to some degree like me, so I would know what they can and can't see."

Ruby frowned. "I can't just let you go in alone, Azura."

He smiled. "I'm never alone, Ruby. You know that."

It did little to help his case, if Ruby's almost disgruntled look meant anything. "And if you get caught and your aura breaks? What will you do then?"

Azura sighed. "Ruby, I'll be careful. You don't need to worry about me so much."

Ruby's chest puffed up like she was annoyed, her hands balled up into fists, before deflating. "Someone has to…"

He placed a hand on her shoulder as he responded. "And I appreciate the concern, but you need to trust me on this. I'll be more able to sneak around better than you in this circumstance."

"Okay, okay. I get it." Ruby grumbled. "I'll be back with them as soon as I can."

"Of course. See ya in a bit." Azura said, turning away and moving off without another word.

He quickly made his way to the train station, making his way down the stairs to the side, where the guards had gone. He slowly crouch-walked down, keeping alert for anything that caught his eye, mainly movement. The damp atmosphere kept growing as he kept going down the stairs, noticing just how far he was going down.

Once he reached the very bottom, he paused for a brief moment to look, before quickly dashing to a pillar and hiding behind it. The guards were close, having caught him by surprise, though he did manage to avoid detection. This time, he was close enough to hear them actually talk.

"You got that box inside and fitted?" One of them asked, a deep voice being noticable.

The other one answered with a gruff voice. "Just about, yeah. You think we have enough dust at this point?"

"Probably. Who knows how much that man wants, he just tells us to do it and we have to do it." The deep voice answered.

"Why are we even still listening to that guy? Didn't he get his ass kicked by some girls?"

A snort of laughter was heard. "He did. But, we gotta listen to him. He's working for the same woman who works with Taurus."

"Got me there."

"Now, come on. We gotta get through the security doors to get back underground."

The sound of their footsteps were heard and Azura exhaled as they started to get further away, not aware that he had been holding his breath. He peeled himself away from the pillar, looking over the edge before following after them again.

The two guards had entered a set of doors to the side, and when Azura finally got over there, he saw a "Workers Only" sign on it. Not a second later, he opened the door and entered into a dark hallway, following after the guards again. He had no room to hide, and if they so much as turned around they would see Azura right behind them. Luna went ahead of him and beyond the guards, watching them intently.

They both paused, and Azura froze in place. His heart was beating against his chest hard, and his fingers twitched, wanting to grab his weapons already. Then, the two guards spun around with dust pistols in hand pointed at him.

"Hands up! I don't want to see you use your aura either!" The gruff sounding one said.

Azura put his hands up, fully standing up and keeping silent.

"Who are you?" The other one asked.

Azura kept silent still, and the two guards slowly approached him. Once they were within five feet of him, Azura flared his aura and Luna instantly slammed their heads together, stunning the two guards as they dropped their guns and grabbed their heads. Azura dashed forward, slamming his foot into the gut of one of the guards to make him stumble onto his back, then jumped and spun and kicked the other guard in the head, who hit the wall and fainted.

The other guard was still up, but Luna kicked him in the head this time, and the other guard was now unconscious. Azura breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Luna.

"Thanks." He said with a smile. "Always one step ahead of them, you are."

Luna smirked back, nodding her head. She then turned and waved him to keep moving.

"Right." Azura said, now jogging his way through the halls.

"_I think we're almost through anyways. We should be coming upon another set of doors or something soon._" Summer said confidently.

"_Let's hope so._" Azura replied.

The halls all looked the same, and other than the stairs going down, there was not much to differentiate his path. Finally spotting another staff door, he entered through that door and came into an empty building from the side. The halls were now different, much darker and dustier than before, and clearly not made of the same concrete as the halls and stairs that led him here. He slowed down his pace, making his way through the empty building, not seeing anyone else in it.

All of the windows were boarded or covered in debris, so he had no idea what to expect when he got out, but he continued on until he found an open space to get out. He slipped through it, and took a look around once he was back on his feet. He was inside of a large cavern, and he could tell that there were lights that were on and functioning somewhere on the other side of it. Buildings were all around him, and that was when he finally saw exactly what he thought the city would have had.

"Ghosts." Azura said, seeing the aimless specters sitting or standing around the edge of the buildings. "So many ghosts."

The inside of the buildings were so crowded with ghosts that Azura could barely even see any defining features on them other than a mess of colors that were faded and dull now. It reminded Azura of when he first saw Luna as a ghost, and more recently, Summer for the first time.

They were all standing there where all of the windows were, just watching. It was rather creepy to Azura, despite how used to seeing the dead he was. And they were clearly talking, though Azura couldn't hear them from here.

"_Not like I would want to hear them anyway._" Summer commented. "_It's so...creepy to think about._"

"_To think about what they're saying?_" Azura asked. "_Because, if so, you aren't wrong._"

"_Let's just get going. Don't want to get caught by someone._" Summer replied.

Azura nodded, moving towards the buildings that were nearby for cover. He didn't particularly want to be close to the ghosts, but he didn't want to be caught in the open more than that. As he stuck to the side of the building and moved along it, he could hear what the ghosts were all whispering about.

"They left us...abandoned us." The all said at once like a symphony. "Vale left us to die. To die."

It sent cold shivers down Azura's back, his hair standing on end from the mass of voices whispering the same words over and over. He tried his best to ignore what was being said in an attempt to keep his focus purely on not being caught at all. He couldn't afford to be caught, nor did he want to have to be rescued or something.

Moving from building to building offered little pieces of info for Azura. There were a large number of people here, all White Fang. No one else seemed to be here but White Fang members, and they were all moving boxes and yelling out orders to each other as they went. Something was odd about it all, Azura felt. He needed to find out what they were doing with the boxes. They all bore the same SDC symbol of a snowflake on it, meaning that it was likely all dust.

"_Who needs so much dust? And here of all places?_"

"_We might need to get somewhere else, get a better angle._" Summer said. "_Just my suggestion._"

Azura nodded, still moving building to building in the shadows. The ghosts were still all mumbling and talking next to him about how they had been abandoned, and he wasn't a fan of just how close they were to him. It was like they were trapped within their own minds, like not a single day had passed since the failure of the Mountain Glenn expansion for them. It's possible that was the case. Azura barely knew the way ghosts worked outside of what he learned from just watching Luna, and Summer contradicted some of those baselines he thought were true.

He was now on the other side of the cavern, up on a raised area that was still concealed in shadows. Some buildings still towered over him, but he was able to now see what exactly was happening.

They were loading up three trains with the very same dust that they had within the boxes, and if Azura looked closely, he could vaguely see Torchwick himself yelling and pointing with his cane in annoyance. He frowned, not liking the fact that Torchwick was likely in charge of whatever was going on here. Was it against his will? Did he willingly do it?

Neo would say no. Torchwick would say yes.

He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. They were planning to do something with those trains clearly, but Azura wasn't sure why. As far as he knew, all paths out of this area were blocked off or even just gone.

"_But, if there's some underground path open, how has it not been found?_" Summer asked.

"_I'm not sure, but we have to find out. We have to get closer._" Azura replied, moving back down the raised area and over to the buildings again. His concern for what was being done here continued to increase as he moved, a sense of urgency filling his body. He needed to get a good idea of what was going on here and get out soon.

He pushed up towards the center of the cavern, having crumbled debris and stacked boxes to hide him. Compared to buildings, he felt much more exposed here, his level of caution high as he slowly peeked past the edge of a box to look around. From here, everything was much closer to him, fully visible now. The train tracks that were along the ground marked the place as some sort of large area for transportation. It was as if the underground area was made specifically for that, and Azura felt like he knew why the ghosts of this place were all down here.

They had died down here, and were now trapped. It would explain why he never saw any ghosts on the surface. Which means that their words about being abandoned were more than just a ghost being a ghost. It was true. All of the Hunters and Huntresses who were brought here to evacuate citizens were then recalled and left hundreds here to die. Azura felt sick to his stomach, but shook his head a moment later. He had to focus on the bigger picture, on what was happening at the very moment.

The next time he looked out, he focused more on what was going on instead of what the place looked like. There were three Atlesian Paladins moving around with a larger amount of boxes in their arms. One for each of the trains, Azura figured. He still had no idea why they were doing this, considering the closed pathways. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly the trains were being loaded for either. Assuming a way out existed, did no one who patrolled this area know about it? His thoughts kept moving as he tried to piece everything together, of how it could be taking the dust to another location for other White Fang groups, or how it could be getting used elsewhere.

He felt Luna tug on him urgently, and he instantly went to move from the boxes and into a more secure place to hide, but was met with resistance as he got grabbed by a big hand and tugged back against the boxes with a thud. Azura saw a big and burly White Fang member in front of him, and went to activate his semblance for Luna before something slammed into the side of his head unexpectedly, and he stumbled to the ground, sliding on the boxes behind him as his head spun and his ear rang.

His head was aflame from pain, and his vision swam as he felt himself get dragged by one of them. His focus was gone, and the only sense he had was the feeling of his feet being dragged on the stone floor and the blood streaming from his head. He couldn't pull his focus together to use his semblance at the moment, leaving him helpless and unable to grab for his weapons as his senses began to return to him.

He felt rope being tied around him, and then he grunted in pain as he was thrown against the ground and one of them called out.

"Hey, boss! We got someone for you who shouldn't be here!"

Azura groaned as he tried to look around. His vision was still swimming a bit, his arms restrained as he tried to wiggle in it, and he could tell that the two people who caught him were standing behind him. Other White Fang members gave him looks, but still moved along to do what they were doing.

"Can't you tell I am a _little_ busy, Biggs?!" The familiar voice of Torchwick yelled out before coming into view, pausing as he saw Azura. "Oh, really?! Who made the kid bleed? Come on, come on! You know that we can't just go around killing kids for fun now." Torchwick approached a little closer, smoking at his ever present cigar. "Well, you're dismissed."

The big and muscular one spoke this time. "You sure?"

Torchwick rolled his eyes, waving him off with his cigar hand. "Course I am. Look at him, he won't be able to touch me. We're just gonna...chat."

The two men left, leaving Azura on the ground and Torchwick in front of him.

Torchwick watched the two of them leave, waiting for no one to be in earshot of him, then crouched down and looked at Azura. "Well, you just couldn't stop yourself, could ya? Honestly, I give one kid some advice and he completely rejects it. What kind of savage world do we live in?"

"Kind of...hard to listen to someone involved with this stuff." Azura said, wincing. "Or maybe I've actually gone crazy listening to her…"

"To Little Red?" Torchwick asked with a chuckle. "I wouldn't be shocked if you did. Now, listen." He continued, taking a puff from his cigar. "I can't have you go ruining this. I promised Neo that I would take care of things here if she could set something up for me. We've both been _very _busy, and if some kid tried to interfere with such a thing, it could cause issues."

"Then, what are you going to do?"

The orange haired man smirked. "Well, isn't that the question of the night. You're putting me at quite the crossroads, kiddo. You feel the need to cause me a headache or something?"

When Azura didn't respond, the man continued talking. "Well, Neo can't play with you here, so you should be quite glad to be away from her and here in this wonderful cave with me. Other than that, maybe you and I can work out a little deal here. You tell me where Red and the others are, I let you go, and then we both pretend this never happened. How's that sound?"

Azura could do nothing but narrow his eyes, keeping quiet. He could have Luna appear, but he would have no time at all to do anything. It wasn't like she could help him get out of the ropes right in the middle of everyone, not without convenient timing.

Torchwick sighed. "This is how we're playing the game, then? Come on, kid, we're on the same side. Trying to survive!" He shrugged, adjusting his hat. "Well, you're trying to take down the people me and her work for, while we just try to survive the forced partnership, but that's besides the point."

Shouts and yells could be heard in the distance behind Azura, and the only thing he knew was that Torchwick did not like it.

"Course they come." Torchwick groaned, standing up. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, kid. Next time, can we _not _be involved with each other's business? Seriously, I can't go with a good consciousness knowing that this world will eat you up! That, or Neo. One of the two." He said with a laugh before growing serious and yelling out. "Get aboard or get left behind! Come on, you mutts! These trains are leaving!"

With a final wave, Torchwick was off and vanished behind a train a moment later. White Fang members were running past him, jumping onto and boarding the train as lights turned on and the trains started preparation to get moving. In the midst of all the chaos, he felt a hand land on his shoulder and a blade slice through the rope with ease. He was turned over, and saw Blake's concerned eyes looking him over.

"Thanks, Blake." He said.

"Mhm." Was her reply as she dragged him up. "You're bleeding."

"Yeah, I know." Azura responded. "Hurts like hell, but aura is a miracle worker."

"No time for chit-chat, all of you. These trains are starting to get moving." Oobleck said.

Azura turned, noticing that the trains were indeed moving off, still slowly, but making distance from them.

"Azura, Yang, left train! Ruby, Blake, middle train! Weiss, with me!" Oobleck ordered.

They followed the unsaid order to get going, already split off and moving to their respective trains. Yang had already jumped onto the ladder of the rear car, and Azura quickly followed after as she climbed to the top. All three trains were moving together at the moment, visible past the large concrete structures on either side. Lights lit up the tunnel, and Azura felt Yang bring him closer to her as she spoke.

"Before we get going here, do you need to sit back?"

"No, I can fight." Azura said, shaking his head. "Promise."

"Good." Yang said, grinning. "Wouldn't want to steal the show."

Azura smiled back for a moment before running ahead. "These trains are being used for something. We need to find out what before it's too late."

The trains were picking up speed now, Azura's sweatshirt blowing in the wind as it whipped past him. Yang's hair was a similar state of affairs, but he ignored it in favor of opening the top hatch of the train to look inside.

The car was chocked full of dust crates and a singular device in the center that had blinking lights. There was nothing else in the train car other than that, as if there was no need to be careful with it at this point in time. Azura didn't know enough about dust care to say if that would be a problem or not, but he did not like the device in the center at all. It looked like an explosive to him, but he didn't want to be wrong here.

"What?" Azura asked aloud, raising his voice to be heard above the wind.

"That's odd!" Yang said, also raising her voice. "Let's check the next car!"

They moved on to the next train car, looking inside from the top hatch. It was the same setup within that one as well. They moved on to the third train car, opening the top hatch again, and saw the same exact setup as the other two. Yang looked at Azura as he looked at her, speaking.

"They're explosives, Azura!" she yelled. "They're trying to blow something up with this train!"

"That's insane!" Azura yelled back. "They're trying to blow open the blockades in the tunnels!"

Yang's eyes widened. "They're trying to bring Grimm to Vale!"

"What?!" He exclaimed.

"The blockades! The tunnels lead to Vale, Oobleck said so!" Yang explained, the wind whipping her hair all over the place. "They must be leading Grimm to Vale and opening holes to the city itself!"

"Fuck!" Azura swore. "What are they thinking?! The White Fang have lost their minds!"

"No time to think about it! We have company!" Yang said.

Azura stood up, swiftly taking out his weapons and looking forward. A group of five White Fang guards were coming upon them, all with what he assumed to be dust-infused rods, all of them lightning.

"Stun rods, huh?" He remarked.

"Straight out of the movies, I have to say!" Yang said with a loud laugh. "Let's wreck 'em, Azura!"

They all rushed forward, and Azura and Yang ran forward as well. He heard a crack as Yang punched on of them, and quickly sidestepped as a stun rod came swinging down at him. Azura grinned, whacking the guard on the head with the hilt of his sword, then flipped over him to swing both blades at the next guard as Luna appeared and slammed his head on the train car.

A yell was heard as the guard Yang was fighting went flying into another one, knocking them all the way onto the next train car. Azura winced, not wanting to imagine the impact, and dodged yet another swing. Shooting two shots of ice dust at the guard in front of him, he slammed his body forward, toppling the guard down, then moved on to the final one as Yang rocketed a fist into their stomach. By that time, Azura had taken care of the last guard, leaving all five of them on the train, unconscious.

He kept his weapons out, starting to move forward. "Come on! We have to keep moving!"

Yang nodded, and the two of them ran along the top of the train cars, jumping every few seconds onto the next car. As they ran, Azura glanced to his right and saw Ruby and Blake doing the same, while Weiss and Oobleck were fighting off a group of White Fang guards of their own. He turned back to focus ahead, finally making easy progress now that they knew what the train was being used for and no guards were getting their way.

Once they got most of the way to the front of the train, about seven or eight cars behind, however, a new problem rose up in the form of an Atlesian Paladin. Azura stumbled to a halt just at the end of the train car, noticing that there was a drop off onto a flat train car where the Paladin stood before them. Yang was at his side, already yelling at him over the wind.

"We'll have to work together for this, Azura! I've taken one of these things on, and they are strong!" She said as it came to life, someone already inside where the cockpit was. "I'll distract and take its focus, you get on it and disable it any way you can!"

"Right!" Azura yelled back.

They jumped down onto the flat train car, the sounds of the wheels on the tracks grating on his ears now that they were much closer to them. The Paladin stepped forward, towering over them as it raised its arms up and began to bring them down. Azura dashed forward, rose petals flourishing, and was behind it and away from the attack. He spun, stopping his momentum with his feet and a hand, and watched Yang fall back down after jumping to avoid the attack, and slam a fist into the glass in front of the cockpit and a cracking sound was heard.

She flipped back to avoid a sweeping arm, blocking a fist with crossed hands and aura. Her yellow aura crackled visibly, and Azura didn't waste a moment more to build up Summer's semblance in his legs and leap towards the top of the Paladin. As he landed, he stabbed his dagger into it, finding a grip as it sliced through the armor.

The Paladin spun, and Azura nearly lost his grip on the dagger as it did so. He grunted, gritting his teeth as he tightened his hold. As it continued to move, Azura sunk his sword into the armor, now having two grips for him to hang onto. The shaking and spinning stopped as a thud echoed just below him, and the Paladin sunk down onto one knee. Taking his chance, he put his feet against the mech and more rose petals flew wildly in the wind as he jumped up and landed heavily on the top.

Finding the entry point on the mech, he pulled it open, and then had to pull his head back as dust bullets came flying out of the top. Once it stopped, Azura braced his aura, and stuck his head and arms into the cockpit, slamming his fist into the very much humanoid skull before dragging the guard out and throwing them onto the train car.

"Just for you!" He yelled out.

"Aw, thanks!" Yang replied back loudly, knocking the guard out without a second thought.

Azura slid off of the mech, grabbing his weapons as he went, then jogged towards the door of the next train car as he sheathed them. He hadn't seen any other guards up ahead, and getting inside would give a bit of breathing room for them before moving forward again. He opened the heavy door, hopping across to get inside. He kept it open as Yang jumped in as well, then closed it a moment later after looking out.

He leaned against the wall, taking in deep breaths to get some air, then closed his eyes. He could hear Yang doing the same, and opened his eyes to look at her. She wasn't sweating, but the Paladin had clearly taken a toll on her. Summer's active presence in his mind made concern the primary emotion to come to him, but he shook it off as best he could.

"How're you faring, Yang?" Azura said, finally able to speak normally with no wind interfering with noise.

She waved towards him, taking her scroll out. "Fine enough for now."

"Aura levels?" 

"You're high eighty, I'm low sixty." She said. "Ruby and Blake are going good, and Weiss is a little low, but Oobleck is fine."

Azura nodded. "Right. I'll take lead in case there are actually more?"

Yang nodded back. "Sounds good."

There was no room for debates here, they both knew that. They stood there for a few moments, looking out at the boxes of dust and the object in the center that Azura felt was a detonator, before getting off the wall and jogging forward again, feeling energized again just by the idea of needing to stop the train before it was too late.

Azura had taken the lead now, as they agreed on, and they moved from train car to train car from the inside. They had to take a few seconds for the doors, yes, but Azura knew it would take just about the same amount of time to get to the head of the train. They passed through a few more train cars, and Azura could see that the head of the train was just ahead of this car, meaning that they were at the train car just before.

"We made it." He said, still moving forward.

"Let's get to stopping this thing, then!" Yang said.

They moved forward, but just before they got to the door, a loud slam was heard across the train car, shaking the entire thing and knocking the two of them off balance. A loud roar was heard as the metal of the train car squealed under the pressure, and Azura could easily recognize the sound of that roar.

"_How did it even get out of there?!_" Summer's voice exclaimed, just barely overheard as it roared again.

A large clawed hand pierced through the metal, the blade reaching down towards the ground of the train, and the sound of metal being ripped apart hurt his ears. As the claw and blade shredded through the metal, Azura and Yang dodged to each side of the train. The top of the train car was then ripped off with another roar coming through, and the massive Grimm was visible.

It was watching Azura intently, its red eyes seeming to pulse with hatred. It roared again, jumping down into the train and slamming its arms against the sides of the train and completely tore it off, boxes of dust going flying over the sides at the sudden change. The wind whipped through Azura's and Yang's hair again, and he could hear Yang yell out.

"What the _fuck_ is that?!" She exclaimed, swearing loudly in shock.

"I have no idea, but it's very dangerous! Yang, this is going to be a hard fight!" Azura said, activating his semblance and having Luna at his side. "It's gonna take all we have!"

"Storing up all that energy was pretty worth it, I guess!" Yang said, shaking her arms out.

The Grimm did not wait any longer, roaring again as it moved forward, slashing the claws and blade forward diagonally several times, forcing Azura and Yang back. Once the attacks stopped, Azura jumped up, petal swirling behind him as he jumped up and over the Grimm, sliding down its back and slashing at one of the green spikes on it. The blade bounced off, the force numbing his hand for a few moments.

He landed, rolling forward, and called out as he got back up. "The armor on this thing is heavy! Sharp weapons won't break through the armor itself!"

The sound of metal hitting metal was like a loud screech, and Azura saw Yang slide along the ground and stop next to him.

"Yeah?! Well, what do we do?!" She asked, hair wild as she swept it out of her face.

They dodged a heavy paw slamming down on their position with a jump back, then Azura answered. "It's focusing on me specifically, I think! We have to use that to our advantage and try to break through the armor!"

"Got it!" Yang said, the two of them sidestepping another heavy slam.

Azura saw Yang run towards it, sliding under its body and to the other side. It barely took note of her as it roared and charged Azura with a series of slams and slashes with its forearms. Azura dodged back the first few and then jumped up as it slammed its arms down, landing on the arm itself and bouncing towards its more exposed face and slashing at its eye as he passed over it and landed back on the other side while Yang gave a vicious punch to its exposed hindleg and made it stumble a little.

Its roar was much louder this time, and much angrier. It started lashing out in every direction it could, snapping its jaw to bite while slashing with the blades and claws, even slamming its body towards one of them. Azura was completely on the defense now, and he caught a glance of Yang doing the same. They could do nothing but dodge while the Grimm attacked with all of its might, its energy seemingly endless as it continued its reckless attacks.

Azura didn't like how he was forced into Summer's semblance as the speed of the attacks increased, and his worry for Yang grew because there would be a point where she wouldn't be able to dodge. The large Grimm was no longer focused purely on Azura, and was now just attacking whatever it saw.

To the left, then to the right. Duck, jump, dodge back. Anything to keep out of the attacks. One good blow would likely knock them off of the ripped open train car, and they couldn't afford something like that. Azura hoped that the creature would stop its attacks soon, feeling his aura slowly drain from the semblance usage. It was at the point that he needed to keep Luna in her passive form, which was not good at all.

They needed it to stop for something to be able to hit it again, and Azura took his chance when he saw one of the Grimms' massive paws raise up. He crossed his weapons as the creature then went to slam one of its blades down on him, forcing aura into his arms to brace for it. He winced as it landed, feeling his entire body vibrate from the impact.

"The armor, Yang!" He yelled out as best he could, his arms starting to shake from the massive weight of the Grimm trying to crush him.

"One step ahead of ya!" She yelled back.

The sound of shotgun shells could be heard as Yang came up and over the Grimm, and she grinned as her hair blazed to life like a wildfire and her eyes became a bright shade of red. She crashed down with a yell, slamming her fist into the arm that Azura was holding his blades against. The pressure on Azura was lifted suddenly as the armor on the creature completely shattered, and the Grimm was sent back a few steps as it roared again, this time in pain.

Yang landed next to Azura, and the two of them looked at each other, nodded, then prepared themselves for the Grimm to start attacking again. They were out of breath and Azura wasn't sure if they could keep up the pace with aura alone. The Grimm clenched its paws for a brief moment before flexing back and roaring directly at them much louder and full of energy than before, forcing them to wince and cover their ears at the intense noise. It then slammed its paws down forcefully, rattling the entire train car and rendering them unable to move.

It rushed forward then, crashing into them and sending them flying against the backside of the head train car, with Yang going flying through the door, completely snapping the metal to the sides as she went through. Azura groaned, his ears ringing and vision dizzy. The Grimm roared again, and Azura tried to get up onto his feet by rising against the wall.

"_Azura! You have to power through!_"

He could hear Summer calling out to him, as if far away. He was trying to listen to her, trying to get up, but his entire body was protesting against the action, as if totally against it. He looked up, seeing the Grimm approach him, and tried getting up faster only to fail. His legs shook with effort as his senses still spun and did not return to him. The ringing in his ears seemed to reach a fever pitch as Summer's shadow movements tried desperately to pick him up. The Grimm raised its bladed arms, sending them crashing down towards the ground where Azura struggled to stand.

Before it could hit him, however, a dark red portal appeared in front of him and a blade slashed upward horizontally as it disappeared. Both of the blades on the Grimms' arms were shaved almost in half as it staggered back again. The woman was now fully in Azura's vision, slightly hazy and shaky as it was.

A short red and black dress was seen with alternating colors, the skirt stopping short and black leggings covering over her pale legs. A belt was wrapped around her waist, with the sheath for her blade. It was long and bulky, and her red blade was longer than that, looking like some sort of Eastern blade from Vacuo. Red armored gauntlets could be seen, and black gloves covered her hands. Feathers and a white mark of sorts hung from her waist as well, but the woman's most notable trait was her long ebony black hair that reminded him of Yang.

When she flicked her blade to the side, tapping her fingers along it, Azura suddenly realized who had come in and likely saved Azura's life. It was the very same woman who exited Summer's life before, and he could already remember the blood red eyes that she had. The very same eye color of Yang's semblance.

"Raven…" He said, his voice strained as Summer's own voice easily overtook his own for a moment.

She briefly turned to look at him, and he could see her eyes past the small series of eye slits along the mask which resembled a Grimm's head with the red marks along the pure white color. She spared only a moment to look at Azura before turning back to the very large and very angry Grimm she had just attacked. It rushed forward towards Raven, and she simply waited for it to try and slap her off of the train with one paw before slashing upward again and completely severing the paw off of the Grimm.

Azura was shocked to see her make such short work of the Grimm, and was even more shocked to see the Grimm stumble back and almost become fearful as it jumped off of the train and crashed onto the ground quickly disappearing as the train sped past it. Azura barely had a moment to feel relief before he felt Raven grab at his clothes and pull him towards her with one hand, the other taking off the mask. Her red eyes and face reminded him of Yang so much, and Summer's breath seemed to hitch as if she were the one physically there.

"What are you?!" She asked, her black hair waving rapidly in the wind. "How do you know my name?! Why can I feel Summer from you with my semblance?!"

Azura was shocked and at a loss of words, though he couldn't tell if that was because of him or because of Summer at this point in time. He simply stared up at her, and her unshakable gaze suddenly broke off from his and she dropped him.

"Do not play games, Summer." She said coldly before glaring at Azura. "And you...a child should know better than to play with the dead."

She turned away and put her mask back on, slashing the air with her sword as a portal appeared. She steps through it without another word, and the portal then closed. Azura felt much more hurt and saddened by that than he knew he should, but he couldn't fight off Summer's emotions this time. He got up then, hand on the wall of the head train car, and moved into it. Yang was still there, starting to get up with a groan.

Azura pushed past her, looking at the controls for anything that could stop the train. Anything that was usable seemed to do nothing as Azura pressed and pulled at the controls, and everything else was destroyed or locked in. As his worry grew, he took out his scroll to maybe try and contact the others, but could not do so. The connection was dead, leaving him with nothing but aura bars. Yang's was at twenty-two percent, while he was in his mid forties.

"That damn woman left us here!" He said aloud, angrily.

Looking up through the window, he saw that they were approaching the blocked path that would have led them into Vale. He only had a few seconds to take an action, and he used Summer's semblance to dash to Yang, embracing her to cover her body with his as he felt her stiffen up in his grip.

"Brace for impact!" He said.

Pulling his aura up, he watched Yang slowly do the same, and then braced his body as he waited for the impact. A moment later, it was like the entire world had just exploded, and Azura felt stone and rubble smash into him as he and Yang were launched into the air and slammed back down. It was the last thing Azura felt before the world slipped under his feet and he blacked out.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Well, I won't be dramatic here, but we've finally reached the "fever pitch" of what I internally call Volume/Part 2 of GVLP. I mean, following canon, it makes sense to me. I'm actually also in the midst of finalizing all of my plans for Volume 3, and I'm almost finished outside of a few things.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


	37. Vale, To Be Scarred

**Hoo boy, this chapter was certainly something to write. Hopefully you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I had in writing it.**

**Chapter 37: Vale, To Be Scarred. **

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 14th (Same night, near 11pm)**

**Saturday**

**Storms & rain**

The first thing that Azura felt as he began to wake up was the rain coming down on him, the next being Yang's hands on his shoulders as she dragged him into a sitting position. The ringing in his ears was still there, but he could hear her trying to talk to him. He could see her in his vision, but his senses weren't clearing up fast enough for her, so she put her hands against his cheeks and spoke louder.

"Focus on me! I need you to be able to defend yourself!" She was yelling at him. When he numbly responded, she smiled in relief for a moment. "Good. Can you move on your own?"

Azura started getting up with a slight bit of trouble, and Yang released her hold on him as she rose as well.

"Yeah, I...I can move." Azura said, shaking his head and holding a hand to it.

He looked around his surroundings, and that was when he realized what he woke up to. People were screaming and running through the streets around them, some of them even running through the plaza that they seemed to have woken up in. Grimm were running through the streets like they owned the place, and alarms were going off throughout the city.

"Please evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately, your safety will be secured." A robotic voice of a woman said from somewhere Azura could not locate.

"Damn it, my scroll is broken." Yang said, ripping his attention away from the madness going on around them. "Azura! Is your scroll working?"

Azura took his scroll out, seeing that it was still functional, and answered the first question that Azura knew she would want to have answered. "All six aura signatures are still active. Everyone is above forty or so...we're both around fifteen."

Yang grimaced. "Not good, not good at all."

Azura took his weapons out as he spoke again. "No time to worry about it. Grimm are noticing our presence now." He nodded in their direction, Beowolves already growling and starting to rush on them. "Try to avoid any aura usage, we need that as our defense."

"Yeah, yeah." Yang said tiredly. "Stay close to each other."

Azura nodded, preparing to defend himself and Yang among the rubble and crashed train cars around them. They stood next to each other as the Beowolves came on them, and the brawl truly began once Yang parried a paw away and punched one Beowolf and pelted another with a shotgun shot from her other gauntlet.

Azura himself weaved through and dodged paw swipes and bites, resorting to a tactic of retaliating after they attacked and left themselves open. He stabbed down on one and let another fall onto his blade as it jumped at him.

"Get down!"

Azura listened to Yang's callout instantly, dropping down as he heard the sound of Yang's gauntlet go off pass over his head, then got back up and started to shoot at the Beowolves as another set of them came rushing towards them, shocking and slowing as many as he could to buy some time. He snapped his head over to Yang as he heard her grunt and saw her pushed down on one knee by two beowolves and he reacted, two-toned rose petals going flying as he flew past them, killing both Beowolves by spinning with his blades as he went by.

He skidded on the wet and slippery ground a few feet from Yang, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling as he regained his balance, and was instantly thrusted into the fight again. He parried a large paw from a Major Beowolf, stabbing both blades into the now exposed chest of it, killing it after ripping the blades back out and Yang was now in front of him, giving a Beowolf a savage kick and sending it away.

"These things never end, do they?!" Yang asked, almost screaming the question in frustration.

Azura took a brief moment to check the battery on the magazines of his dagger, seeing them start to dip past the halfway mark. He frowned, but took his attention away from it as several Ursai joined the Beowolves in attacking them.

There were three Beowolves and two Ursai now blocking his path from Yang. They all started to attack him, and Azura fell into Summer's shadow movements to dodge away and block as much as he could, but was slapped away by the large paw of an Ursa. He groaned as he got back up, seeing the Beowolves already rushing towards him as the Ursa lumbered behind.

With another flourish of Summer's semblance, he threw his dagger at the leftmost Beowolf and pierced its head with it, before feinting to his right and slicing through the rightmost Beowolf, then stabbed the backside of the last Beowolf. He dodged out of the way of one of the Ursai, recollected his dagger, and fired several shots of lightning dust at it, damaging the mask armor on its face.

He ran towards Yang now, who had just uppercutted a Major Ursa right in the head before spinning and using a small flash of her semblance to send it flying with a vicious punch, and shot behind him at the other Ursa, seeing the mask shatter as another flash of lightning took the sky and thunder rumbled shortly after.

"You got company, Yang?" He said breathlessly, his back turned to her as he caught his breath. The Ursai he had shot were recovering from the dust still, and he was relieved to have caught a small break.

Yang had been doing the same, and they were now back-to-back with each other. "Sounds like you do. Need help with those Ursai?"

"Would be appreciated." Azura said, pushing off of Yang's soaked jacket as the Ursai glared at him and began their slower charge towards him.

Yang let out a tired chuckle, spinning on her feet and aiming her gauntlets at both Ursai. Azura did the same with his dagger, already firing and alternating his aim between the two Ursai. As they were further slowed by the ice dust shots, Yang fired off her own shotgun pellets and pelted them down. Azura switched back to the lightning dust and continued his own firing. After several seconds of their firing, the Ursai died and left Azura and Yang with no Grimm at the moment.

They lowered their arms, and Azura sighed heavily. "We don't have the energy or aura levels to keep this up…"

"You're telling me, this shit is beyond exhausting at this point." Yang replied.

Azura had to agree. His hair was plastered to his forehead, and his clothing felt heavy from the lack of energy and how wet it was getting from the rain. His weapons were sleek from the rain, and his grip was the only thing keeping the weapons from falling out of his grasp at this point. He was more than willing to take this moment to be able to take a breather, if only for a moment or two.

Thunder continued to rumble as several lightning bolts streaked across the sky, but there was a sound in between them as well. A very distinct and guttural roar that Azura really wished didn't exist right now. The large and mutated Grimm crashed through a building, destroying it in the process as it stopped in the plaza and roared at them.

The scariest part of the entire situation wasn't the creature itself, or their low aura reserves, but the fact that it was standing still.

"_What is it doing…?_" Summer asked, already voicing his question.

Another Grimm came floating down, looking completely different compared to any other Grimm that Azura had seen. It was shrouded in a dark hood of sorts, and barely had any visible limbs. A small, claw-like, paw was hanging in the open, while a much larger bone-like blade protruding from the other arm, gleaming from the rain washing down it. It had no visible face, and made no sound whatsoever, but Azura could feel it staring down at him.

It brought fear to Azura's heart, like he was about to be struck down and die any moment now. A shaky hand was placed on his shoulder, and he looked over to see a wide-eyed Luna staring at the creature, terror clear in her yellow eyes. It all clicked then, what he was looking at.

"Nightmare…" He whispered. "The Grimm that killed mother."

"_Azura, get a hold of yourself! Think properly first and get Luna out of here! She can't fight like this, and you can't be distracted by her!_" Summer mentally yelled at him, and he snapped back to attention and away from his thoughts on the Nightmare Grimm that was currently watching him.

He quickly turned to Luna, holding onto her arms. She looked at him, her shaking more palpable in his grip. "Go, Luna. Please."

She remained where she was, gripping his arms now tightly and shakily. Azura looked over at the Grimm still watching them, the Nightmare holding its long bladed arm in front of the mutated Grimm, and Azura wasn't even sure how one Grimm was controlling another. It simply drove a sharper sense of fear into him, but Summer's determined motivation overrode such fear.

"Go get help, if you can. Get Ozpin, even!" He said to Luna, lighting crackling overhead. "For me?"

Luna shakily nodded, letting go and flying off much faster than he had ever seen her go. Azura knew it was a crazy idea to do this, but he wasn't in the right mindset to care. He turned again, seeing Yang tensed up and silently watching both Grimm with intense focus. His arms were bruised from Luna's grip, but he paid no attention to the slight pain as he watched the Grimm.

The Nightmare Grimm suddenly moved its blade out of the mutated Grimm's way, pointing at Yang. It watched as the Grimm roared again, stumbling towards Yang with only three limbs, much slower and clumsier than it had been in Azura's other encounters with it. Even with that, Yang hopped out of the way and it followed after her angrily, forcing Yang to play a game of cat and mouse with it.

Azura would have gone to help her, but the Nightmare was slowly making its way towards Azura, freezing him in place as his fear gripped at his body. This was the creature that killed his mother like it was nothing, and he wondered if he even stood a chance against such a thing. The feeling of hopelessness was so overwhelming to Azura, but he could feel his grip on his weapons actually tighten.

"_You shall not die this day. I swear it, Azura._" Summer said, urgent and firm. "_Ready yourself, I will be by your side._"

Azura nodded, fear still holding him still as the Nightmare continued to float towards him in an uncaring manner, like it already succeeded in killing him.

"_Do not think of the fear._" Summer's soft voice whispered to him from within. "_Think of living, of seeing Luna again._"

With Summer's support, Azura was able to break out of his own mind, pushing his fear away. He jumped back, weapons at the ready, and blocked the large blade of the Nightmare Grimm as its speed increased beyond casual floating. He pushed back, still struggling to do so with little strength or energy to work with, but it seemed that the few reports of it were true. It was not too physically strong, and preyed on the weak who could barely defend themselves.

The Nightmare pushed back in, arm and blade reared up as it slashed towards him again, and Azura dodged to the side, then it slid the blade along the ground as it spun and reached forward to grab Azura, which forced him to jump back at the now surprisingly good speed it had. Azura readied himself again, then jumped towards it as it raised its open arm and clenched its hand as a black moisture rose from its body and spat out towards a group of three Boarbatusks.

Within an instant, all three of them were charging at Azura. It was like any interest they had in running past him was gone instantly. Azura dodged out of the way of the first one, then jumped up to have the other two run under him. Raising his blades, already aware of what would happen, he felt the large bladed arm of the Nightmare slam into his weapons, and send him flying through the window of a nearby building.

He scrambled up, rolling backwards as the bone-like blade reached through the window and jammed into the ground. Shattered glass was everywhere, but his concern was with the fact that he heard the door below him slam open and the cry of the three Boarbatusks rang out. As they began to race up the stairs of the building towards him, he turned and ran, jumping through the window behind him and forcing his aura away to take the fall normally.

He hissed in pain as he landed on his shoulder, but quickly got up as the Nightmare came up on him, a quick use of Summer's semblance allowing him to dodge out of harm's way as it sliced through the ground he was on. The three Boarbatusks leapt through the window, one of them dying just from being crushed by the other two.

"You have to be kidding me…" Azura said. "Give up, you two!"

He dodged out of the Nightmare's way again, firing off lightning dust at the Boarbatusks, stunning them. Running forward, Azura ducked under the Nightmare's grabbing hand, and grabbed the horns of one of the Boarbatusks. He then flipped it over onto the back of the other Boarbatusk, killing them both.

"_Doesn't fight on its own ever._" Summer said in his mind, as he dodged another slash. "_We can't evade forever...we need to get back into the plaza!_"

Azura jumped back, just out of the Nightmare's reaching hand, and made a dash for the plaza, only to get knocked back as the building he jumped out of exploded, bricks and glass going flying. He landed on his back, the wound on his head bleeding again, and groaned as he began to get up. He gazed wildly around his surroundings, seeing that it was a Goliath that had gone through the building, and that the Nightmare was reaching down towards him.

Another use of Summer's semblance propelled him backwards, and he flew through an alleyway before crashing onto another street. No Grimm were in sight as Azura got up, and the only sound that he could hear was the rapid thumping of his own heart. He shook his head, trying to ignore the slowly creeping exhaustion.

"_Stay with me, Azura, stay with me._" Summer said. "_We'll figure something out._"

Low on aura and in the middle of a fight with what one could say is a rather powerful Grimm given its assumed age, Azura wasn't so sure of Summer's reassurances. Once he saw that the Nightmare had yet to appear, he quickly scrambled to look at his scroll. Yang was actively regaining a small amount of aura, which inferred that she was not active in battle. She was still conscious, she had to be, if she still had aura.

"What's going on, Yang?" He asked himself.

Ruby and Blake were both in their thirties for aura levels, while Weiss and Oobleck were just below them. Azura felt some relief and energy come to him upon seeing that team Juniper was active, their pings coming to Vale itself hopefully meant that more huntsmen were coming.

He slipped it back into his pocket as the Nightmare entered his vision, slowly floating again. It was like it knew that Azura was on his last legs at this point, which made an unsettling feeling pool in his stomach. This Grimm was smart and clever, Azura noted.

Readying his weapons again, Azura breathed in and out raggedly. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Alone with Summer, and with almost no chance in coming out on top in a fight, the only thing he could do was play a game of cat and mouse and hope that he bought time, whether it be to get Yang out of the way or to maybe get rescued. He wasn't hopeful, as the mere presence of the Nightmare seemed to suck out any positivity of those around it. It dug at his mind like the never-ending ticking of a clock, slowly degrading at him.

Azura dodged out of the way of a wide sweeping slash, jumping back as it reached out to grab him again. He landed, dodging again as it slashed out again. Several Beowolves raced out onto the street, and after Azura blocked another slam of the Nightmare's blade, it backed off to the other side of the street, and the same black moisture rose from its body. The Beowolves howled as they convulsed on the ground, slowly vanishing as they seemed to turn into black liquid themselves and started combining with the Nightmare.

Azura's eyes widened in shock, and he started a slow run towards the Nightmare to try and stop it. Whatever it was doing would not be good for him, and he built up the power of Summer's semblance to leap towards the Nightmare, throwing his dagger ahead of time to try and stop it. The dagger landed, but did not stop the Nightmare. As Azura flew like a rocket towards the Nightmare, he was stopped just as he reached his mark, ready to strike a blow, grabbed by the Nightmare's arm, the clawed bones covering its hand squeezing around Azura throat.

Azura choked, gasping for any air, trying to slash his sword into the Nightmare's arm, failing as the Nightmare slapped the weapon out of Azura's hand with the bone blade it had, nearly snapping Azura's wrist in the meantime. Azura's vision was dimming now, and he could only feebly grab at its arm with his left hand.

"_Azura! Azura!_"

Summer's voice was hard to hear, and Azura could barely make out what she was saying. The world was starting to fade out, and the Nightmare's blade was raised, poised to strike the final blow on Azura. As his grip began to weaken, he could feel Summer's shadow movements almost force his hand to remain where it was. Several emotions flickered through him, none of which were his.

That was when she screamed. It pierced through his mind, making Azura alert for only a brief moment as a burst of a very foriegn energy emerged from within him. From within Summer. His left side burned with the energy, and the darkness that was his vision flared up like a flashbang. The next thing Azura knew was that he hit the ground hard, and he coughed and wheezed. His left eye felt like it was on fire, a blazing silver aura emanating from it, visible to Azura.

The Nightmare was retreating, its shroud burning in the same silver color, making the first noise to come out of its mouth a screech that sounded creepily human. Azura shifted as he kept gasping for air, seeing black tendrils of thorns that looked like tattoos wrapped around his left arm and hand. As the silver color vanished, Azura felt as though he had just been set on fire purely on his left side. He screamed hoarsely, coughing up blood as he convulsed on the ground. He continued like this for several horribly long moments, before feeling arms come onto him, constricting his movement. They were ice cold, wet, and nothing felt better to Azura as he recognized the feeling of the cold rain coming down on him again.

"Azura!" An accented voice called out, sounding close.

Azura's vision was cleared up for the most part now, recognizing Coco's face in front of him, as though she was examining him.

"He hears your voice, Velv, so he's clearly still with us." She said, and Azura saw Yang stumble behind her, looking as wet as a used mop, and looking at him in what he thought was concern.

"Thank whatever is watching over us right now…" The same accented voice, Velvet, said.

"Well, we killed whatever that other thing was, so perhaps he should thank us for finding him after." Coco said, a grim frown on her face.

"I suppose…" Velvet replied, shifting her grip on Azura slightly.

Hearing her voice reminded Azura of someone. Someone who would be in danger at this very moment.

"Aurora…" He croaked, attempting to get up from Velvet's grip. When he was held back, he spoke again. "Please...she needs...us…"

Coco frowned, looking past him to Velvet. "Your call, bunny."

"We have to, Coco. He's right." Velvet said. "Lu can't possibly do it herself, no matter her past."

"Then, off we go. Me, Velvet, and Fox will go and get those little guys secured." Coco said, standing up and turning. "Yatsu, stay with them and call for evac of two students. Join up with us later, if you can."

"Of course." A new voice said.

"Yang, could you…" Velvet began to say, though she stopped as Azura felt a new pair of hands grab onto him. "Thanks." She finished, before she quickly entered his vision and spoke again. "Aurora will be okay, I promise."

Azura didn't respond, his throat burning as blood trailed down his chin, mixing with the water on his face from the rain, though he felt relieved. He could hear Summer faintly, as if she was trying to talk to him, but his focus was on Yang's face, which was just above him, looking down at him tiredly. He paid no mind to the tall and muscular man nearby on his scroll, just preferring to sink into unconsciousness in relief of Yang being okay and alive.

**.**

**.(Character Shift/Line Break)**

.

Ruby pulled the trigger again, seeing another Beowolf's head snap back from the sniper round. The rain pattered onto her crouched body, though she paid it no mind as she swiveled her scope across the city plaza she was in, shooting an Ursa this time to stun it as Blake ran in and decapitated it. It was a system that worked, Ruby knew, but she wasn't a fan of sitting still while Blake did all of the physical work. They would switch positions soon, but she was anxious while she crouched down next to the unconscious form of Torchwick, who they were forced to defend from the Grimm.

Not that she would have left him for dead, but he was needed alive. Arrested, yes, but alive.

"Ruby, on your left!" Blake called out to her, landing on the ground after launching herself off of an Ursa.

Ruby turned her body, dragging Crescent Rose with her as her hood stuck to her hair, and aimed in on the Beowolf closing in on her. She took her shot a moment later, sending it crashing to the wet ground as its foreleg evaporated, then she shot again to kill it. She turned back to see Blake send her leg crashing down onto a Beowolf's head, smashing it down onto the ground, then shooting it several times to kill it.

Ruby scoped back in, taking care of Beowolves dashing through the hole in the ground one at a time, ignoring the lightning and thunder going off around her as rain crashed on her hood and backside. She needed to be patient and calm, so she tried her best to be. She unscoped again, reloading, and looked around her surroundings. Blake was still fighting, taking on an Ursa now. The girl jumped up onto it, grappling the ribbon of Gambol Shroud around its neck to choke it. The Ursa let out a strained growl, wildly shaking its body to try and shake her off, before standing on its back legs and smashing its back into the crashed train car nearby, stunning Blake.

Ruby's eyes widened, and she quickly scoped in, though it was too late as the Ursa shook its body violently. She had taken her shot, killing the Ursa, but Blake had been stunned and then thrown off by then. Ruby was about to run out and go to her before she saw Blake roll a few times and skid to a stop several feet in front of her.

"Blake!" Ruby called out, her voice cracking as concern spiked in her mind.

Blake's grip on her weapons tightened, and she got up as fast as she could, making it over to Ruby and crouching down. "Ursa...Major Ursa!"

Ruby grit her teeth, getting up. "Stay here, we're switching." She ran off before Blake could respond, mecha-shifting Crescent Rose back into its scythe form and activating her semblance to pick up speed. She raced towards the Ursa Major, dodging to the right and stopping right behind it as it swiped in front of itself, then triggered her semblance again as she hooked the blade right around its arm, twisting it, then fired another shot to rip right through its arm as it staggered to the side. Ruby landed with a slide, digging Crescent Rose's blade into the ground and firing another sniper round to launch herself at the other arm on the Major Ursa. using her semblance to spin in the air and slice through the other arm like butter.

She launched herself backwards this time, twisting and turning her momentum to go left, sliding to a stop in front of it. With no way to defend itself, Ruby launched directly at the Major Ursa, readjusting her grip to spin the scythe head into the Ursa's stomach and ripping through it to complete the spin and fully kill it.

There was no other Grimm in sight within the plaza or the area around it, and Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, though she did not sheath her weapon. That was when the ground began to rumble, and Ruby looked around her to try and find the source of it. The rumbling kept growing, louder and louder, and she eventually fixed her eyes onto the large hole that they had come from.

A moment later, and the loud thumping and rumbling turned into a loud crash as the ground was ripped asunder and thrown about. Ruby, using her semblance, was forced back to avoid the debris flying her way. As the dust began to settle, a loud trumpeting noise was heard, and a Goliath Grimm was seen. Ruby audibly gasped in shock, not having expected such a thing to appear.

"GOLIATH!" She screamed.

A moment later, Blake came up beside her. She was staring at the Goliath as it struggled to fully get out of the hole. "We have to kill it now! While we can!"

Ruby nodded, readying Crescent Rose. "Black Rose, Blake!"

Blake sprinted in, latching onto the top of the Goliath and jumping up, sending a fire dust-infused clone down onto the Goliath as Ruby triggered her semblance and jumped onto the horn, then onto the head, leaping up into the air as Blake came back down, setting up three more clones infused with fire dust. She rolled off the Goliath and Ruby bounced on each clone as she sent them back down, also crashing into the Goliath's back.

Ruby hit the peak of her jump as she let her body manifest again, scythe head high above her as lightning crackled across the sky, then she rocketed herself down towards the Goliath. As she came within inches of landing a heavy blow, the Goliath broke through and Ruby smashed into its back unexpectedly, rolling off as she let out a cry of pain. She winced as she landed on the ground, then rolled away and regrouped with Blake as they backed off from the Goliath. It roared this time, trumpeting its trunk after.

As it began to charge and Blake and Ruby prepared to jump accordingly, a voice came from high above as the sounds of a bullhead entered Ruby's ears.

"Look out below, ha HA!"

Ruby looked up, seeing Nora flying out of the bullhead, energized with electricity, spinning as she thrusted her hammer into the Goliath's armored head like a bat, staggering it away as the armor cracked. Ren was quick to join her, with Pyrrha landing on her shield and sliding towards the two partners, hopping off and using her semblance to pull her shield back to her.

Jaune and Pyra landed next to Ruby, with Jaune looking rather serious next to a grim Pyra.

"You called?" He asked.

"Doesn't matter right now! We have a Goliath to deal with." Blake responded, running off to join in the fray as Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were calling out to each other as to how they would take it out.

Jaune nodded, sparing Ruby a glance as he joined them as well. Just as Ruby was about to join as well, she was stopped by Pyra, who's blue eyes were dulled by the dark sky and stormy clouds above.

"Where is everyone else? Azura?" She asked

"Don't know, we got separated down there before we crashed here." Ruby said, shaking her head. "Haven't checked aura or the tracker yet."

Pyra frowned, but nodded. "What happened?"

Ruby tapped her fingers along Crescent Rose's grip, getting antsy. "Enough questions, please! Go and make sure Torchwick remains where he is!" She said, jerking her head in his direction.

Pyra nodded, though she seemed displeased. As nice of a person as Ruby was, she had her own limits. Especially in times of crisis. She rushed forward, seeing Pyrrha and Nora on top of the Goliath while Jaune, Blake, and Ren kept it distracted in the front. Ruby quickly analyzed everything that was happening, Jaune blocking the Goliaths' huge trunk as it slammed into him while Ren dashed around shooting it with Blake supporting him in that effort. Pyrrha was helping Nora to try and break the already cracked face armor from above.

Looking at the Goliath, the armor on its back legs were less protected compared to other parts of its body, and Ruby decided her next course of action. She triggered her semblance again, red rose petals scattering in the wind and rain, and shot off towards the closest hindleg. She hooked the scythe head around the leg, firing her sniper rounds to dig into the leg and slice along it. The Goliath let out a noise of pain, forcing Ruby to dodge as it kicked back to where it thought she was. She was quick to run back in, jamming the scythe head into the open wound and gripping onto Crescent Rose very tightly as she fired off the final rounds she could to rip the wound open even more, which made the Goliath stumble down and halt in trying to defend itself.

"Now!" Jaune yelled.

Ruby saw Nora jump onto Pyrrha's shield, then be sent flying into the sky. She was holding something in her mouth, and she cracked down and spit out the remains of what Ruby now recognized as lightning dust. Nora sizzled with electricity now, and her grin was wide as she came back down with a raised hammer.

"Down you go!" She yelled as she slammed her hammer heavily onto the Goliath.

And down it did go, toppling over as Pyrrha jumped off and landed on the ground. Ruby saw all of team Juniper regroup as the Goliath began to evaporate, and they were all soaked already despite being here only for a minute or two. She shook her head, joining them beside Blake, though any idea of joining in on their talk was gone as howls were heard and a large group of Beowolves came running in.

"Looks like we're just getting started." Pyrrha stated, raising her shield and sword.

"It only gets more fun from here!" Nora exclaimed, readying her hammer. "Cracking Grimm skulls and defending Vale!"

"She's...not wrong." Ren said, calm as ever as he reloaded.

"Alright, team Juniper! Time to show our worth in battle." Jaune said, twirling his blade and readying his shield.

Blake simply looked at Ruby and nodded.

Ruby nodded in return, readying Crescent Rose as she joined team Juniper's side to face the Beowolf horde they now had to deal with. "Let's get it going again, then!"

**.**

**.(Character Shift/Line Break)**

**.**

Weiss was beginning to hate her luck. As the rain pelted her and ruined her ponytail, her hair straightening out as it became further undone, she had just seen Oobleck launch a dog, specifically Zwei, like a cannonball and kill an Ursa like it was nothing. Only she would be so unlucky as to be one-upped by a dog as the city she had come to know was crumbling around her and the horrible weather made it even worse.

She twirled her rapier again, sending a volley of ice dust crystals into the group of Beowolves coming from every which corner of the street, and eyed Oobleck as he whacked an Ursa in the head, letting Zwei headbutt it with more force than she honestly felt such a small creature should have.

She shook her head, dispelling such thoughts away as she stabbed a Beowolf like a kebab. She couldn't help herself, she was in disarray and full of a familiar sense of concern and worry for her teammates, and the only thing she was able to do was stand her ground with Oobleck and kill the endless amounts of Grimm around her. The numbers were thinning, yes, but she was really hoping they'd end sooner. Her aura was low with how much she was forced to use her semblance, and without aura, she'd be a sitting duck waiting to get eaten up.

She had never understood the meaning of a 'glass cannon' as much as she did right now. She was that glass cannon, and she really did not like the feeling.

"How much longer, Doctor?!" She asked loudly, sending a volley of fire dust towards a group of Grimm as she launched a glyph towards an Ursa to send it flying until the glyph came out of range and vanished.

"Only a few moments more, my impatient teammate of the moment!" He called back, irritating Weiss with his almost aloof answer.

She bit her tongue, choosing to believe him and remain silent. Not that she really had a choice, standing on a raised platform as she fired off more fire dust from Myrtenaster. Oobleck and Zwei were her primary defense if any Grimm got past her barrage of dust, which she appreciated, but she really only had so much dust to use, and her semblance was limited by her aura.

Another flick of her wrist slowed down an Ursa Major with her time dilation, primed for Oobleck to strike down. Keeping it in the corner of her vision, she turned her attention to the four Boarbatusks rushing towards her. As she dropped her time dilation glyphs, she stabbed Myrtenaster's tip into the ground and pulled the trigger to release ice dust out in a cone, freezing the ground over in ice. The rain helped to make it slippier than usual, and the Boarbatusks skidded around, three of them falling off and falling on their side while the fourth seemed to give up with its spread legs clattering on the ice as it slid on its stomach.

Summoning a glyph around her blade, she fired out more fire dust with rapid precision and killed three of the Boarbatusks easily enough. The fourth was not alive much longer as Oobleck slammed it with his own weapon.

This process of killing Grimm continued only for a few minutes more, and the rain was beginning to let up, though the dark clouds remained. Weiss was tiring from the constant dust and semblance usage, but the Grimm were also becoming less and less frequent. After stabbing a Beowolf that had gotten too close for comfort, she and Oobleck were now next to each other. Weiss wiped the hair out of her face, taking the brief moment of rest to clear her vision. Two Ursa Majors rumbled into their vision as she did so, and Weiss readied Myrtenaster again as Oobleck brought his coffee-capsule-turned-weapon up. Zwei growled between them, and the Ursa Majors rushed forward towards them.

Just as they were about to attack the bear Grimm, the two creatures froze in place with a familiar purple glow. Weiss was shocked that they finally got their backup, turning to see Goodwitch calmly walking through the now drizzling rain, riding crop in hand also glowing purple. Port was running ahead of her, grunting as he lifted a giant axe and took a mighty swing at one of the Ursa Majors, cleaving its head right off. The other one was harshly brought down to the ground for Port to raise his axe again and decapitate the other one as well.

Weiss almost couldn't believe what she had just seen. "I guess not every story is false…" She commented softly.

Oobleck chuckled, placing a hand on Weiss's shoulder. "When it comes to Port, they never are."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far, Bartholomew." Goodwitch said from behind, speaking again once Weiss and Oobleck turned towards her. "You both are free to retreat back to Beacon. Early reports are saying that the main sources of the breaches have been cleared of Grimm, so all first wave defenders are being brought back and a fresh wave of Huntsmen are already finishing up what you and others have started."

That brought relief to Weiss's heart, and a genuine smile to her lips. "Thank you, professor."

Goodwitch merely nodded before she looked past Weiss and over to Port. "Come along, Port. We've got a city to finish defending and start repairing."

She walked off, Port coming along to catch up with her, and spoke once more. "Transport is still safely landed for you two. Oobleck, report to Ozpin once you get back to Beacon, please."

"Of course, Glynda!" He replied, then turned to Weiss. "Well, Miss Schnee, shall we?"

Weiss nodded, feeling tired to her core. "That would be great, yes."

**.**

**.(Character Shift/Line Break)**

**.**

Yang was exhausted, but unable to fall asleep on the bullhead. Too many thoughts in her head, plus she couldn't help herself at this moment. She felt like she needed to be watching the condition of Vale right now.

From this point of view, with the drizzle of rain in front of her, the city was not in as terrible of a shape as it seemed when she had been on the streets herself. Some buildings had taken obvious damage and, on a darker note that refused to exit her mind, people had died. Blood had been spilt because of their failure to stop the trains.

She wished her worry would be about the price for repairs or how the opening days of the Vytal festival will have to be pushed back to give time for said repairs. But, as a young adult training to be a Huntress, she had to worry about the people that had died and how she hadn't been good enough to stop that. How she had naively believed she was good enough to stop something like this.

Yang sighed, feeling as worn down and disheveled as she looked. She had yet to let go of her grip on Azura. One arm around his shoulders and gripping his damp sweatshirt, careful to avoid his left arm, which was injured more than anything else. Which made her think of two things, one of them being her teammates. Her other arm had her scroll, still viewing the aura levels of everyone. Azura being at a scarily low two percent, Ruby and Blake in their low thirties, Weiss just below fifteen, Oobleck about twenty, and herself dipping down to five percent in total.

And the other thing on her mind, outside of her sister and friends, was Azura's wounds. Not the bruised coloring of his throat or the dried blood from his left temple, though they were concerning enough, but the wounds that looked anything but natural. His eyes were closed, but it was easy to see the black looking coloration that stemmed from his left eye, like roots sticking out. They were small and didn't extend far, but they didn't look like a wound one would get in battle. More concerning was his left arm and hand, wrapped up in tattoo-like marks that seemed like burns. They looked like thorns you would see on a rose stem, and Yang wasn't a fan of the idea it brought her.

She gripped his sweatshirt a little tighter, and her scroll whined slightly from the pressure her other hand was applying. His weapons laid on her lap, and she sighed heavily as she looked back out at Vale, getting further and further away as other bullheads flew behind them.

"Just what happened between Azura and mom to cause this to happen to them?" She whispered to herself. "And why do I feel like it's also something I won't get an answer to?" She finished, thinking of the mystery woman that Azura briefly mentioned before they crashed into Vale.

The only thing she could do was hope that the others were on one of those bullheads. It was frustrating how useless she felt right now. She was anxious to see her sister safe and sound, to see Weiss and Blake again, and for Azura to wake up the same as he was. She had come to terms with Azura basically sharing a body with her deceased mother, but she wasn't sure if she wanted it to go further than that.

She hated the fact that the only thing she could do was hope. It made her feel weak, like her strength didn't even matter. But it seemed like hope was all she could do at the moment. Hope and wait.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**And there it is. The Nightmare Grimm finally emerges in the midst of chaos, where everyone is at their weakest. I hope that I didn't drag out the whole "drop hints of 'this' creature or object" too much in regards to it. Beyond that, I'm sure you guys know what happened in that moment where Azura was about to faint and die, or know what Summer basically triggered. I know it might feel like a bit of "plot convenience", but it makes sense to me that Summer would have more 'control' of that stuff.**

**Anywho, have a nice day/evening!**


	38. Troubled Peace

**Sorry about how long this chapter took to write, but I didn't want to separate it into two chapters needlessly. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 38: Troubled Peace**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 15th, past midnight**

**Sunday**

**Cloudy**

Ruby stepped out of the bullhead and took in the rather peaceful scenery of the grounds of Beacon academy, feeling the stark contrast compared to the current state of Vale. Blake came in just behind her, standing next to her as she took a step forward and looked back at the others coming out of the bullhead, eventually grabbing Ruby's arm and pulling her away.

"Come on, the bullhead needs to go back out." She said quietly.

Ruby snapped out of her reverie, instantly growing anxious. Her fingers twitched and she felt like she couldn't stand still. She looked around the place, trying to not listen to her gut feeling to go back out to Vale.

"Ruby." Blake said, shaking her shoulder a little.

Ruby jumped a little, looking at Blake for a moment before looking down as she played with her fingers. "Sorry...I'm just a little nervous."

Blake sighed quietly, hand remaining on Ruby's shoulder. "Hey, they'll be fine. Team Juniper aren't exactly the worst group of Huntsmen-in-training. And Vale is more in control than when we first woke up, probably not many Grimm left."

"I know, I know. But...I just…" Ruby said, trying to articulate herself, waving her arms around tiredly.

"Can't help but worry?" Blake asked. "Ruby, look at me."

Ruby looked up at Blake, and found a little peace in her teammates' confident, if tired, face.

"They can handle themselves. And they aren't alone, remember? They have a pair of Huntresses that can easily take care of them if needed." She smirked. "Even got Torchwick officially arrested before we were ordered to go back."

Ruby nodded, though the spark of pride within her died shortly after. "It's not just that, either. I'm worried about Yang, Weiss, and Azura as well. We were all separated before this all happened."

Blake frowns, looking to the side. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She turned her face back over to look at Ruby again. "Why don't we see if we can find them?"

Ruby nods, feeling energy come to her from the idea. "Right."

"After you, dear leader." Blake said, a bit of a tease in her tone.

Ruby walked off, Blake trailing behind her, their search started. There were a lot of other students and some adult Huntsmen around, making it hard to truly find anyone she knew. The two of them weaved around people, trying to look out for Yang, Weiss, or Azura, though the small bullhead area made it even harder to find anyone because of how slow they had to move.

They made it past several bullheads and around several more people before one of their friends were found. A snow-like weave of hair, small stature, and the regal clothing. Ruby gasped, finding it within herself to practically run towards her partner.

"Weiss! Weiss!" Ruby yelled out.

The girl turned just in time to be embraced in a tight hug, letting out a sound of effort as Ruby made impact.

"You...dumb girl." Weiss said, her tone warm. "Honestly…"

Weiss returned the embrace, breaking off of Ruby once she saw Blake. Ruby turned around, a small smile on her face at seeing the two tired girls hug briefly, and approached them. Weiss was the first to speak again.

"I'm so glad to see you two are okay. I was...worried."

"We all were." Blake replied. "I still am."

Ruby nods. "So am I. We still need to find Yang and Azura."

Weiss looked between the two of them, then ran a hand through her undone and matted hair. "Then we should find them now. Before Ruby here explodes."

Ruby gave an awkward laugh, looking to the side. "Maybe…"

"Well, that will not be so necessary at this moment." A calm voice said, coming closer.

The three of them turned to see Ozpin approaching them, and Ruby's nervousness seemed palpable enough for Ozpin to speak again.

"Not for such a dark reason, Miss Rose, I promise." He said. "Miss Xiao Long and Mister Heart have been taken to get medical treatment, having sustained wounds during the time they were fighting."

Ruby's heartbeat hammered faster, not feeling at all calmer. "Are they okay?!"

Ozpin waved her off. "They are not in critical need of medical treatment, and will certainly recover in due time. The worst injuries they have seem to be heavy bruising on Miss Xiao Long's arms and stomach and the...burns on Azura's left side, as well as the bruise and blood from a head wound."

Ruby was prepared to demand that she see both of them, but paused when Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's back.

"I assume we cannot visit at this time?" Weiss asked, her voice controlled and stable.

Ozpin shook his head, holding his cane in front of him. "Not at this moment, no. Mister Heart was unconscious when he got here, with Miss Xiao Long refusing to let go. She simply fell asleep after being told where she and Mister Heart were going, likely from exhaustion."

Weiss nodded, looking at Ruby. Ruby looked over at Weiss, a grateful smile on her face, while Blake simply watched them in silence. Ruby turned back to Ozpin, though she was cut off by the man when she went to speak.

"But, that's enough of that, you three. Miss Rose, I wanted to speak to you for another reason." He said, gesturing to his side. "Miss Scarlatina, Velvet as you likely know her, asked me to bring someone to you if able. Since Mister Heart is currently unconscious, I agreed to do so."

Ruby looked to Ozpin's side, her eyes widening at who she saw. "Aurora!"

The snake Faunus hesitated for a moment before quickly moving over to Ruby, grabbing hold of her arm with both hands. Ruby looked down, checking Aurora over and tilted her head at the pink and white colored jacket wrapped around the girl. She didn't recognize the jacket, but wasn't going to complain, especially since it gave Aurora some warmth.

A moment after the warm thought, Ruby realized what exactly was going on. Why Aurora was here. She wouldn't be taken here if there was a home to return to after the breach was taken care of. She snapped her head up, looking at Weiss and Blake with wide eyes, seeing similar reactions. When she looked at Ozpin, he was giving her a look that was equally serious as it was trying to tell her to not say her thoughts.

"I will explain everything about this later, I promise. But not until the four of you have rested from the events of this night. I'm sure you are all very tired, and rightfully so." He said, a smile coming on his face. "And, if it helps you sleep, I can confirm that most of the breach has been dealt with. Everyone out there is simply making sure the city is safe at this point, dealing with stray Grimm, or working with Professor Goodwitch to repair the breaches."

"Thank you, sir." Weiss said quietly.

"No, thank _you_. You all did a wonderful job of defending Vale. I bid you a good night, team Ruby."

He walked off then, leaving the three of them to look at each other, then down at Aurora. The girl was quiet, keeping her face down and almost hiding herself within Ruby's clothing. Ruby felt terrible, but tried to stuff it down as she remembered Aurora's semblance. She sighed, shifting the girl's hand down to be around her own hand, then she gripped Aurora's smaller hands within hers.

"I guess...head back to the dorm for now." Ruby said, already distracted by her thoughts.

Weiss and Blake nodded, and the four of them walked away from the bullheads and began to follow after the large group of students ahead of them. Ruby knew the way back to the dorm like the back of her hand, and since everyone was inclined to remain silent, she was left to sift through the thoughts running through her mind.

The first thing that came to her mind was Torchwick and his arrest, surprisingly. It had been a simple affair with the group of Huntresses they met back in Vale, with two of them taking Torchwick away to get properly arrested while the other two remained with team Juniper. Ruby was personally just glad that _something _went right this night. She was still frustrated with herself for agreeing to let Azura go alone as easily as she did, confident that everything went wrong just because of it.

Her thoughts drift away and return to a previous topic, that being Aurora. Ruby knew that something was severely wrong there, especially with how Aurora was acting currently. She was shy, but not so bad as to cling onto her hand as tightly as she was doing so in this moment. There was also the almost hollow silence, which furthered Ruby's worries. She disliked not knowing what happened because it rendered her useless to help, which was the entire purpose of becoming a Huntress in the first place to her.

Ruby's tired shoulders drooped. Useless. She was utterly useless at this moment. She couldn't stop Azura from throwing himself into danger, couldn't keep her own teammates safe, and she couldn't even do anything about any of it. She had to keep going forward, hoping that this breach was the worst thing to happen. An idea kept popping into the back of her mind, whispering to her endlessly. The idea that she was at fault.

Yang trained at Signal and came to Beacon because she wanted to be a Huntress. Weiss and Blake kept getting into all sorts of trouble because she rallied her team to investigate the White Fang, even if Blake might have done so either way.

And now, her sister was getting medical care because of her desire to be a Huntress. Her undying need to stop the bad guys and help people led to Weiss and Blake being put into dangerous situations with a large organization bent on doing crime.

Azura was another topic altogether. Ruby knew that he was like her, someone who wanted to help others if he could. It just so happened that he wanted to help her, which tore at her heart at times. She was grateful for all of his help, from helping Blake with her problems to trying to keep things civil when Yang was taking issue with him, to even him taking her to the dance just because she had complained that Yang was forcing her to go, not to mention what he was trying to do for her regarding her...deceased mother.

But she struggled with her feelings of guilt over his predicament with her mom and a sense of regret for letting Azura coax her into believing in seeing her mother again. She felt responsible for Azura's current situation, plain and simple. Ever since that night months ago, when she saw him struggling to likely stay conscious on the bench outside of the tower leading to Ozpin's office, it just seemed to get worse for him. That sense of relief she saw come from him when she laid her hands on him, it made her feel horrible.

She had known that it involved her mom soon after, once Azura kept pretending that the "other ghost" he referred to wasn't Summer Rose herself. Ruby always felt like she was being watched by her mother, even though she had died long ago, so she made a guess there. Once it turned out to be true, and she saw Azura's body with his now red-white-black mix colored hair and one silver and one yellow eye instead of two, it just seemed to get even worse.

Her stubborn anger didn't really start to fill her until after her suspicions of what Ozpin said to Azura prior to the mission were confirmed. She wasn't angry at Summer or at Azura, and she wasn't even angry with the headmaster. It was hard to explain to herself why she felt the way she did, lost in her thoughts as she was. But it was getting increasingly difficult not to snap at Azura for how much he disregarded himself when her mom was involved. It was like he was just some middleman for Ruby in his mind, someone to come to if she wanted to talk to her mom.

"Ruby."

Ruby was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear someone call her name. There was so much to think about, it was overwhelming. So many 'what-ifs' and anxiety-filled ideas to consider. An all consuming thought process that even Ruby herself knew could be self-destructive if done excessively, but it was something that she couldn't stop herself from doing. Being the way she was, it was normal to overthink even the most simplistic of events, down to the words said. When Ironwood had thrown out the idea that she was involved in the infiltration of the Beacon CCT during the dance, she couldn't handle the pressure. It was like a hand was holding her throat, cutting her voice off, and Azura was her only lifeline in the moments after when her shell started to crack.

"Ruby." The voice said again, this time grabbing her free arm.

Ruby jumped, loosening her grip on Aurora for just a moment, before turning to see Weiss, and she calmed herself.

"Our dorm is right here, Ruby." Weiss said, looking her over. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Ruby said softly, regaining her natural smile within the whirling thoughts on her mind. "Everything is fine."

Weiss didn't look convinced, but did not push. "I'll believe you. Now, come on."

Ruby nodded, looking down at Aurora, who was looking up at her. "Ready?"

Aurora nodded slowly, mechanically. Ruby squeezed her hand a little tighter, trying to reassure the girl, and smiled. Aurora mimicked the smile faintly, which made Ruby honestly feel better already.

They entered the dorm, closing the door. Ruby sat down in the chair by the desk, putting Aurora in front of her while Weiss and Blake got out of their damp and dirty clothing and put on their much warmer sleepwear. They quickly dumped themselves into their beds, sighing in relief at the comfort, and after a minute of watching them, Ruby deemed them to be asleep. If she wasn't prioritizing Aurora, she would've envied the idea of taking off her dirty clothing now and just collapsing into her bed to sleep the entire next day away.

Ruby helped Aurora take off the jacket that she still didn't recognize, but once again paid it no mind. Once she went to bring it away, Aurora grabbed it tightly.

"Take care...of it." She said softly, making it hard to hear her. "It is…Azura's friends' jacket. She saved me..." She explained further after a moment, the lisp of her S's coming out.

Ruby wasn't sure what she meant by that, or who she was talking about, but did not argue. She nods, placing the damp thing on the desk. "Of course. Why don't we get you out of the rest of your wet clothes and get changed, yeah? You can borrow a pair of my pajamas for now."

True to her word, Ruby helped Aurora out of the rest of her clothing and into her rose petal sweatpants and a simple blank shirt. They were still a size or two bigger than Aurora, but Ruby's petite body made her clothing better than any other set of sleepwear currently in the room. Ruby let her go for a few moments to get out of her own dirty clothes, from the boots to the beloved hooded cloak itself, and into a much more comfortable pair of gym shorts and a tank top.

Ruby turned to Aurora, who was watching the floor, and spoke quietly after placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "We'll make sure to get your clothing cleaned later, I promise. Now, let's get some sleep, okay?"

Aurora nodded, allowing Ruby to help her up onto her bed above Weiss's own bed after turning the light off, and laid down next to Ruby as the tired leader of team RWBY did so. They looked at each other for a moment, and Ruby smiled softly as Aurora pushed herself closer towards her, returning the gesture by placing an arm over the girl and pulling her to her side.

As Aurora's body slowly relaxed, and her breathing slowed, Ruby stared out at the wall. Her thoughts still troubled her, unable to be left alone. As the minutes passed, the almost serene silence and Aurora's gentle breathing lulled Ruby into sleep as she slowly closed her eyes, her worries about the coming days slipping away.

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

**September 15th, early afternoon**

**Sunday**

**Mostly Sunny**

When Azura awoke, the first thing that was apparent to him was the pain of his left eye and the dull ache of his left arm and hand. His eyes were still closed, but he could hear the sounds of medical devices around him, and feel the soft and cool breeze coming from an open window, making him aware of his location in the medical facility of Beacon and the afternoon sky waiting for him to open his eyes.

He began to open his eyes, wincing at the bright lights assaulting his vision, both artificial and natural. The clean white walls and ceiling came into view, and Azura looked around the room until he paused to look at Luna. His mother was gripping the bed sheets tightly, watching him intently and analyzing his face.

He smiled at her, ignoring the dull ache in his left arm to reach out to her and letting her grab his hand with both of hers, hiding the wince from the action of something rubbing on his aching left limb. She was shaking, tears running down her pale and ghostly face, but her relieved and overjoyed smile brought peace to Azura despite her tears.

"Yeah, I'm still kicking." Azura said, his throat dry.

Luna looked at him for several moments before turning her head away, letting his hand go. A look of shame was on her face, and Azura sighed as he took it in. He didn't blame her for feeling the way she did, but it still saddened him.

"It's okay." He said, letting her keep her gaze away from him. "No one will blame you for being unable to face...what happened in the past. I know I won't."

Luna nodded slowly, pushing her hair back to smile weakly at him. Azura returned the smile, then turned his head to look out the window. Sunlight draped into the room, and the cool breeze kept flowing in. A new day had begun, which reminded him of the cold contrast of the storm last night. And that, in turn, brought forth the memories of everything that occurred. Raising his left hand and looking down at it, his eyes scanned the dark marks around his arm and hand, recognizing the thorny stem of what would be a rose. They wrapped around his arm, looking like it had a constrictive hold on it, the skin around the marks red and raw.

There was an irony there, he knew. The stem of a rose, as well as when it first appeared. His free hand felt at the area around his left eye, not feeling anything in particular outside of the slight pain it brought him to touch it. He began to try and understand what happened as he rubbed his throat, lightly touching the bruises on it.

"_But, what does it all mean?_" Azura thought to himself, confused. "_I recall...choking. The Nightmare Grimm was killing me, was about to end my life. And then, Summer screamed. A sudden feeling of strength, of hope, rushed through me, and it was retreating from me. The last thing I remember is seeing Yang...Yang!_"

Azura jumped up, ready to get into action, but froze as a brown-haired doctor came into the room, watching him with a surprised expression, tired blue eyes looking into Azura's heterochromatic ones.

"I understand you must be in quite the state, given what happened last night, but you shouldn't be hasty." The man said, looking down at the bed itself. "Especially if you will conjure rose petals."

Azura looked down, seeing a few white-red rose petals around his left arm. "Oh, sorry." Azura looks back up as he speaks, a sheepish smile on his face. "But, who are you?"

"Ah, forgive me. I am Doctor Star, Andrew Star." He said, gesturing to himself. "It's nice to meet you when you are finally awake."

It took a moment for Azura to understand what he was saying. "You took care of me? And Yang?"

"Yang? Oh, yes, Miss Xiao Long." Star said, nodding his head. "Do not worry, she has been getting cared for as well. Even woke up earlier than you. But, that is not why I am here."

"Er, right. You came to check up on me, I guess?"

"For the most part, yes. We were alerted that you had woken up, and it's currently my objective to make sure you are ready to be given the clear to leave."

"So early? I thought that, I don't know, you'd make sure I'm perfectly healthy or something." Azura replied.

Star chuckled. "We made sure of that while you were unconscious. The blow to your head was not as bad as it first seemed, though I must advise right now that you don't try anything that might shake your head a lot." He coughed into his arm, looking towards the window as he continued. "The bruising on your throat is already regressing, mainly due to your aura coming back, and any other minor combat wounds are healed." He sighs this time, looking rather displeased. "Though, that does not excuse the odd markings on your left arm, hand, and around your eye. The burns on your arm and hand are minor, but the marks themselves have only begun to fade slowly around four hours ago. And your eye...is still unexplainable. We do not have an actual answer for it."

"But I'm still being released." Azura said plainly.

"Correct." Star said, turning to Azura with a slight frown. "Headmaster Ozpin has requested that you be able to leave as long as the other wounds have become minor or have healed. The man certainly pays attention to you when you come here, if last time means anything."

"Last time? Wait…"

"If your question is if I was the one to take care of you last time, then yes, I was. Though, not long into it, the headmaster took things over. As for why, I cannot begin to guess." Star says, shaking his head with a sigh. "No matter, it is not my position to ask. Your clothes have been cleaned and are within the side room for you to change into. Any questions before I leave?"

"Can I visit Yang? I want to make sure she's okay." Azura asked.

"Of course. She's still bed-ridden, but likely awake. Lucky for you, she's actually in the room just across from yours." Star replied. "And though you did not ask, your weaponry and scrolls are in your dorm room. Your team was a hard bunch to drive off with just that for now, just to say."

"Thank you. For everything you've done for me the two times I have been in here." Azura said, a grateful smile on his face. "And for dealing with my friends. They can be, uh...a little stubborn."

Doctor Star smiled back. "Of course. But do not make it a habit to be involved in dangerous events and end up unconscious here, you hear? I'd prefer for your team to not make a ruckus." He said jokingly.

The man left, allowing Azura to look at Luna again as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Come here." He said, his hands out in front of him. He spoke again when Luna gently took hold of them. "I need you to do a favor for me. Can you check up on my team while I visit Yang?"

Luna nodded her head in agreement, but did not move. Azura smirked, speaking again.

"I'm in a safe location, mother. Beacon is the safest place I could be at the moment, there's nothing to worry about. I'll still be here when you return."

Luna hesitated for a moment more before letting go and slowly floating off through the window, glancing back at him once more. When he nodded, she nodded back, and picked up speed to fly away. Azura got off of the bed now, looking around for his clothes, and found them where he was told he would. He got changed back into the dark jeans and combat boots he was commonly seen with, slipping into the dark gray shirt and black-red sweatshirt that was with the clothing.

There was a small mirror in the room, hanging on the wall in the side room, and Azura could see his reflection. He was not surprised by what he saw, considering the doctor's words, but his curiosity was at an all-time high. Unlike the thorny rose stems on his arm, the mark to the left of his eye, down in the corner and connected to the eye itself, was more like a vein. It was a dark black, a sharp contrast to the rest of his face, pale and without any other wound. He brought his hand to it again, tracing it with a finger, wondering what exactly it could mean.

"It is no coincidence of timing, that's for sure." Azura muttered. He frowned, speaking up a bit as he felt a spike of guilt before it was drowned out and left his calm demeanour alone. "I can feel you there, Summer. What's wrong?"

"_I'm so sorry._" She whispered in reply. "_So terribly sorry._"

"Sorry? What for?" Azura asked in the mirror, not caring if anyone overheard him.

"_My fears...I was so afraid of losing something again._" She quietly said, her raw and emotional voice making Azura's mind and heart conflicted on how to react. "_I hurt you._"

"You _saved_ me, Summer." Azura replied. "I do not care about the 'how' here, you genuinely saved me when the Nightmare was about to kill me."

His heart skipped a beat and his nails bit into his palm as they tightened up upon saying the name. That had been his closest call, he knew. He would have died if not for Summer. When Azura got no response, he asked a rather serious question on his mind.

"What did you even do last night to make it actually hurt?"

"_It's nothing. Just pure luck._" Summer answered curtly, and Azura caught the deflection of his question.

"It clearly wasn't." He said aloud, before beginning to talk mentally. "_Summer, you did something that I have never seen or even heard of. It's something you can do...it's just like that moment! When I saw you fight, you used some power that helped you kill so many Grimm._"

"_It's nothing, Azura. Please, leave it alone._" Summer said, urgency in her tone.

"_Summer, I can't just be left with no answers. I don't want that to be something that happens to us._"

Summer paused as she went to respond, her gentle sigh echoing in his mind. "_Give me time to think, please. I need time._"

Azura nodded, moreso just used to the action. "_It's fine, take your time. We shouldn't fight and argue. But, Summer?_"

"_Yes?_"

"_I'm here for you, don't forget that. I want you to have the best I can offer._"

"_I know._" Summer replied, much warmer than her previous words. "_I'm here for you, as well. We wouldn't be in such a weird, yet safe, situation if we didn't._" Her warmth fades away as her guilt comes back again. "_I am still so sorry for the pain I caused you last night, though. I know now...what could happen._"

"_It's okay, Summer. I trust you. If a little pain becomes necessary, I will continue to trust you._"

She didn't reply then, and Azura looked at himself for a few more moments before walking out of the side room and exiting the main room itself. The hall he entered had the same sterile and white walls and flooring, and Azura quickly strided across the hall to the door in front of him. He knocked on the door, and waited for a reply.

"You can come in." A voice called out, and Azura recognized Yang's voice.

He opened the door, closing it behind him, and stepped into the room itself. "Hey, Yang."

The blonde girl stared at his face for several seconds, narrowing her eyes slightly as her hospital robes shifted with her body. The gaze quickly vanished, replaced by a more relieved look. "Hey, yourself. They finally let you go, huh?"

Azura nods as he pulls a chair up to sit next to her bed. "I was apparently cleared before I woke up." Seeing her confused look, he simply answered. "Headmaster Ozpin."

Yang shrugged. "Alright then. I'm still stuck here, though."

"Any reason in particular?"

She sighed. "Something about running a physical test today before I could officially leave. I don't feel hurt or wounded, but I guess aura isn't a good enough excuse for medical staff."

Azura laughed, shaking his head as he smiled. "The mighty Yang, taken down by nurses and doctors."

"Shut up." Yang retorted, though she was trying not to laugh. The moment didn't last that long before Yang grew pensive and asked a question. "Your wounds. What are they?"

Azura dropped the smile, looking right back at Yang. "Which ones?"

"You know which ones." Yang replied, no trace of playfulness in her tone.

"Right." He said, raising his left arm in front of him. "I'm not entirely sure what they are or how I got them. I just remember when."

"When you got them?"

"The other Grimm from last night, the Nightmare." Azura said. "You saw it last night. But, when I was forced out of the plaza and away from you, it...nearly killed me. The only thing I remember was Summer screaming and, next thing I know, I was on the ground in pain and the Nightmare was retreating."

Yang looked down. "Yeah, I heard you. Does she know what happened?"

"No, Summer doesn't know what happened." Azura felt the lie come to him naturally as he spoke, covering for the woman.

Yang frowned, but seemed to take the answer. "I see." She looked back up at Azura as she moved on. "Speaking of those two Grimm, the weird mutant one is dead. Team Coffee and I managed to kill it while it was weakened."

"I'm just glad it was weakened by her." Azura said. "It made your chances of survival that much higher when I couldn't stay."

"Yeah." Yang said, agreeing. "But who is this rather mysterious 'her' you are talking about? I know you mentioned a woman on the train, but nothing else beyond that."

A sudden need for secrecy shrouded Azura's heart, so he chose his next words carefully. "I don't know who she was or how she got here, or even why she chose to save me. She just _appeared _and sliced the Grimm's arm off, then left shortly after forcing the Grimm off of the train. She didn't give a name or anything."

Yang nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "That's a shame." Her clouded eyes cleared and she returned to her more cheerful self. "Well, I'm glad to see that you are alright. You had me worried last night."

Azura smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm happy to see you alive and well, too." He stood up then, preparing to leave. "Well, I'm going to head out, I just wanted to check up on you before I did."

"Alright." Yang replied. "But, can I ask you a favor?"

Azura paused mid step to the door, turning to look at her. "Anything."

"Could you tell Ruby and my team that they can visit me? Well, I want you to make sure they are okay first, but I also want to see them."

"Of course." Azura replied. "I'll be sure to do that first."

Yang smiled back. "Thanks."

"Sure thing." Azura said, then turned to open the door and leave Yang to her own devices.

He walked through the halls, down a set of stairs, and through another hall before making it to the lobby. No one stopped him as he looked around the place, seeing other groups of people waiting, some patiently and others nervously. Azura felt bad for a moment as some people looked at him, their hopeful gaze turning downcast as they realized that it wasn't whoever they were waiting for. A few others cast glances at his face, with Azura knowing that they were looking at the mark around the silver eye in particular.

He stopped paying attention to the glances, instead choosing to just walk outside and into the cool afternoon day. The sun was up and outside of a few clouds, the blue sky was clear. Azura took a few steps out into the day, simply enjoying the feeling compared to the downpouring rain. He did not get to enjoy the wonderful silence for long before he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He was surprised by the sudden action, and even more surprised to see that it was Weiss of all people.

"Weiss?!" Azura exclaimed, not expecting the action at all.

She broke off the hug, looking embarrassed as her crystal blue eyes looked up at him. "Sorry...I got a little ahead of myself there."

He smiled warmly. "No, it's great to see you too, Weiss. I'm glad to see that you are mostly unhurt."

"Right." Weiss said, shaking her head slightly to shake the feeling off. "It pleases me to see that you are…" She frowns as she looks closer at his face. "Wait, your eye. What happened?"

Azura's smile diminished slightly. "It's a pretty long and uncertain answer."

"One that I'm sure we'd all like to hear, once Weiss here has fulfilled her physical touch quota of Azura." Blake said, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"Quota? Excuse me!" Weiss exclaimed, though she pauses as Azura laughs and pats her shoulder.

"It's just a joke, Weiss." He said, before turning to the approaching Blake and looking her over. "And you are very outspoken and active today, Blake. Good mood?"

"Not bad." Blake said. "Glad that no one I know got seriously injured last night, honestly."

Azura smiled again, hugging Blake. "Well, let's not count you out. I'm glad that you are doing well after everything."

Azura was expecting Blake to give some awkward pat on the back or something, but he instead got a hug in return. As Azura began to comprehend the surprise, she tilted her head to whisper to him.

"Ruby's in a bit of a state. I'd explain, but I feel you should be told by her specifically."

She leaned back, a dark look on her face as she looked at him. "Ruby will be here soon, if you're wondering."

Azura blinked a few times, responding shortly after. "Right...yeah." He nods, moreso to himself, then speaks to both Weiss and Blake. "Well, anyways, I have something to say to the two of you. Yang asked me to tell you guys that she was able to be visited, and to get you going towards her."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Like we wouldn't have visited either way."

"Exactly. We're a team, we take care of each other." Blake said, smirking. "Nothing will stop that."

"Figured that would be the case, but I told her I would do it." Azura replied, chuckling. "Well, why don't you two go ahead and do that?"

"What about Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Azura glanced at Blake, who was watching him. "Don't worry, I just wanted to speak to her for a bit before I let her go after you guys."

It dawned on Weiss what was going on, and she sighed. "Alright. Why don't we do that, then, Blake?"

"On your lead, Weiss. I'll be right behind."

The two of them nodded, bidding Azura farewell as they moved past him and towards the entrance of the medical building he had just left. Azura watched them passively, though he felt the worry coming from Summer. He was worried as well, but her own emotion of worry was so strong by itself.

When Azura turned back, he could already see Ruby in the distance, though he was equally happy and surprised to see Aurora next to her, holding onto Ruby's hand. She was safe, which made him feel much better, but the almost blank look on her face did worry him. It looked like she had shut down, and Azura had a thought that he didn't like. He wondered if she was possibly trying to shut her semblance out at the moment.

Azura had a sinking suspicion of what had happened. And it was one that he really hoped wasn't true, but wouldn't be shocked if it was. He could see it easily on Ruby's face. She looked exhausted still, like she had a lot on her mind. And while a troubled Ruby meant a lot of things, the way that Aurora clung to the young girl seemed needy. He pushed down his own anger towards those that caused the breach, and he could feel Summer pushing down her own feelings.

Upon closer inspection, Azura realized that Aurora was wearing what seemed to be some of Ruby's pajamas, though what really caught his eye was the very familiar jacket of the mute Neopolitan.

"_Did Neo save Aurora before Coco and Velvet arrived? And if so...why is she here at Beacon now?_" He thought.

"_Better here than with her._"

Azura didn't disagree.

When Ruby was close enough, Aurora let go of her and began running towards Azura. Azura bent down on one knee, arms open as the girl ran into him with a hug. Azura embraced her, one hand rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm so happy to see you safe." Azura whispered, turning his gaze to Ruby as he spoke, who looked at him with a tired, though still happy, smile.

Her body shook in his embrace, and Azura tried to push his guilt and other dark emotions away for Aurora's sake. They stayed like that for a few moments, but Azura pulled back a little to get a look at her, letting her keep a grip on his sweatshirt. Her pink eyes looked haunted and tired, but she smiled slightly as Azura smiled at her.

"You're safe now, Aurora." Azura said, hands on her arms. "I promise you."

She nodded slightly, and Azura remembered something with widened eyes. "Wait, the sun!"

"It's fine, Azura." Ruby said to him, crouching down to his side. "She's actually had aura for a while, but never knew how to use it properly. I helped her practice a bit this morning, and she's a natural with it. Kind of reminded me of Pyrrha talking about Jaune learning how to use his aura."

Azura relaxed. "Oh, that's good." He looks back at Aurora. "That's great, Aurora. I'm glad to hear that."

Aurora nods with a little more energy, finally speaking. "Ruby was...very kind to help me. It feels...weird, but also nice."

Azura smiled. "That's how it feels at first, trust me. I'm sure you'll get used to it, though."

"We can help you out along the way." Ruby said.

The two of them stood back up, Azura placing his burned hand on Aurora's back as she attached to his side. Azura and Ruby looked at each other, and he saw several emotions flit through her eyes before she cast her eyes down towards Aurora.

"Can you do something very important for me, Aurora?"

Aurora looked at Ruby, tilting her head.

"Could you go ahead and join Weiss and Blake to visit Yang, my sister? I'd really appreciate it."

Aurora froze, and Azura spoke when he felt her grip tighten. An idea came to him, so he decided to give it a try.

"Would it help if you had my sweatshirt?"

Aurora looks at him then, seeming to consider it. After a moment, she looked down and slowly nodded her head. Azura simply smiled, taking off the sweatshirt and wrapping it around her. She got comfortable in the piece of clothing, staring at the two of them.

"We'll have time to be together later, I promise." Azura said to her.

That seemed to do the trick for Aurora, because she slowly took a few steps past them. She looked back at them once, then continued to take a few more steps before entering the building itself, and Azura could see the girl through the glass doors, grabbing at Weiss's arm. He tried not to laugh as the heiress jumped in surprise, though he was happy to see the ice queen herself act warm and eventually grab Aurora's hand to walk with her.

He heard Ruby sigh then, and turned to look at her. She was staring at his arm, covered in the black and thorny stems that seemed like a legitimate tattoo wrapped around his arm and hand. Azura tilted his head, turning to fully face her now.

"Ruby?"

She frowned, her body looking stiff, and kept looking at his arm. She flicks her head up to look at his face, and Azura could tell that she was looking at his eye.

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

She quickly stepped forward, embracing him tightly. Azura was less surprised that Ruby hugged him compared to when Blake did, easily embracing her back. Her stiff shoulders and tight grip on his shirt relaxed as she rested her head on him.

"You're safe...we're all safe. We all made it out…" She whispered. "But you got hurt again."

"We all did, Ruby. Let's not just single me out." Azura said.

Ruby leaned back, her silver eyes narrowed. "You were the only one given a task by the headmaster, for that stupid data thing. And you were likely given it because-"

"I'm the one who accepted it out of the two of us, Ruby." Azura replied, cutting her off. He grabbed her arms and pulled her away to look at her properly. "Yang didn't get hurt because of Summer. She got hurt because of the Grimm I saw in there, because it was chasing me for whatever reason."

Ruby shakes her head, and he saw her gaze harden once she took notice of the wounds. "And these? Are you telling me you got such a specific wound from a Grimm of all things?!"

Azura frowned, unsure where the stubborn aggression came from. He smiled, trying a more caring approach. "Ruby, relax for a moment. Breathe." He saw her do so, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "The burns and marks I have are caused by Summer, I will admit. But, she saved me by doing so. Whatever she did, it saved my life."

"I...what?" Ruby said, now confused and sounding annoyed. "So, you'll just take the pain and disregard yourself, despite this situation being forced on you?"

"Ruby, that's not…" Azura said, sighing. "I know that you're mad. Whatever it is that you don't like about this situation, though, can we not do this?"

"But…" Ruby said, looking down at the ground. "I don't know why it makes me so frustrated. I should be more focused about Yang, or about Aurora, or even my own teammates...not this dumb idea in my head."

Azura shook his head. "No, Ruby. Look at me." She looked back up, instinctively smiling back when she saw his calm one. "It's normal to be frustrated, you shouldn't disregard yourself like that. And we will work through what you don't like with words and communicating with each other, not by fighting each other over our opinions or something." He sighs, looking to the side. "I was like that with Weiss at first. And well, once I stopped being dumb, I'd like to say the two of us have become good friends."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say, Ruby, is that you shouldn't pretend that you don't feel one way or another. Yang will recover without issue. I will recover without issue, and you and I will work through your feelings regarding me and Summer kind of being in a single body, for lack of a better term, okay?"

"Okay…" Ruby replied quietly.

"You aren't alone, and you shouldn't feel like you need to be. You have me, Yang, Weiss, and Blake. And hey, if that's not enough, you have Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, and Pyra as well. I mean, they did come to help in Vale, right?"

"Of course they did, dummy." Ruby said, trying to not laugh and remain all Blake-like. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Well, that's my point, then!" Azura said, his smile wide. "If all of us can fight together in the breach of a city, I think we can work together for any problem, separated or not." He paused for a moment, turning his head to look at where Aurora had been, then turned his head back to Ruby. "As for Aurora, we'll take small steps with her, all of us. Whatever happened has hurt her, and will continue to hurt her for a while yet. This time, it won't be just us to help her, we'll have all of our great and amazing and caring friends as well."

"I know that...I do." Ruby said, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry for being so worked up over nothing."

"No, there's no need to apologize to me. Emotions are what make us alive, after all. If you can feel, you are a living being." Azura said. "And I wouldn't want you to die, you know. It'd be boring without my favorite prodigy here to entertain me with her excited talk of weapons."

"Shush, you." She replied, laughing now. She spoke again once she stopped. "Thank you, Azura. I think I needed to let some emotion out."

"That's fine." Azura said, ruffling her hair to her muffled complaints. "Now, why don't you actually go visit your sister? She probably wants to see her actual family, yeah?"

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Ruby said, grumbling. "Just don't mess with my hair."

"No promises."

Ruby rolled her eyes at his reply. "We'll talk to each other later?"

"Of course. Now go, before Yang tears the building apart to see you."

Azura watched her walk off, a smile on his face, standing in place as the wind blew. It seemed that Azura would not be allowed to enjoy the silence, however, as the sound of footsteps on the stone path came closer. Azura turned, seeing Ozpin approach him.

"Good to see you out in the sunlight, Mister Heart. How are you?"

"Good enough, I suppose. Tired, recovering, but good." Azura said. "Summer's still in my noggin, so everything is relatively the same, I guess."

"Good, good. I am glad that you and Miss Xiao Long were not taken by the night." Ozpin said, his gaze lost in thought. "Do you care to walk with me? I'd like for us to talk."

"Sure." Azura said, shrugging.

The two of them began down the path, and Azura recognized that this led to the very familiar cliffside that he and Summer were beginning to frequent quite often, wondering if that was where Ozpin was taking him. As they moved away from buildings and any signs of people walking through were gone, Ozpin began to speak.

"Last night is being officially called the 'Breach of Vale' by the council of Vale." He began with. "And though it has caused around four thousand deaths, it's been agreed upon that the response to such an event was better than anyone could have hoped for. I will congratulate those who fought to defend Vale soon, but other things have taken my attention at the moment."

Azura looked at the man, who was currently without his normal mug of coffee. "Other things? What could be more important than making sure Vale can recover from the breach?"

Ozpin chuckled. "Well, for one, they are adamant about the Vytal Festival happening, and were rather unhappy that they had to push it back for repairs before the festival could happen. They were rather angry about the whole thing, if I have to say."

"That makes no sense." Azura said bluntly. "Who cares about a festival being pushed back, people died!"

"Precisely." Ozpin replied, stepping off of the path and out onto the grass. "They are so proactive about making the event happen, though. Enough so to force my hand and give General Ironwood full control of security in the event and the tournament together."

They stopped as they reached the edge, with Azura speaking. "They did?"

"Yes."

Azura frowned, looking at the headmaster he had conflicting thoughts over. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Ozpin sighed quietly, hands over each other as he planted his cane into the ground. "Because I believe that you should." He looked out at Vale, taking a moment to silently observe it. "But, that is not the main reason I am talking to you right now. The task I gave you prior to going to Mountain Glenn, did you find anything?"

"The lab was there, like you said it probably would be." Azura said. "In there, there was a scroll. I believe it was Merlot's personal scroll to use for his experiments, since I found notes saying that he would put all of his data on it." Azura frowned, thinking back on the place. "There was also a Grimm in there, mutated beyond anything I've seen. It looked like a Beowolf, but it had these metal parts on it and acid on its back."

"A mutated Grimm? An experiment, then…" Ozpin said. "Perhaps the scroll will have answers in there. Do you have it on you?"

Azura shook his head. "No, I don't. I was told that my gear was left in my dorm."

"I see." Ozpin said, looking thoughtful as he turned his gaze to Azura. "Well, how about your wounds? I was told they were not exactly natural, to say."

"Oh...I mean, they're fine." Azura said. "But, I'm apparently the only one to think so."

"Well, they do not seem to come from combat. Or rather, the marks left behind on your arm and around your eye, Summer's eye in particular, do make it more concerning if one doesn't know where they come from."

Azura looked away. "Well, I'm not too sure where they came from either. There's something I really want to discuss with you, though."

"Oh? What is it?" Ozpin asked, curiously looking at him.

"The Nightmare Grimm. It was there last night, in the midst of the breach, and it attacked me like I was a target." Azura said, his hands gripped into fists. "I don't know what to do if it's here, but I want it dead."

Ozpin was silent for a few moments, though he spoke seriously when he did. "We should talk about this in a private area. Why don't you come to my office tomorrow night? It would be wrong of me to not give you time to visit your friends, plus I'm sure you'll have your hands full with getting little Aurora acquainted with Beacon. Which," Ozpin said, raising a hand to stop Azura from speaking. "I will be sure to talk about everything regarding that at a later point, once things settle down. As of right now, Aurora is more than welcome to stay."

"Thank you, it means a lot to me."

"Of course." Ozpin said, turning to walk away as he said his final words. "And remember, when you come to my office tomorrow, be sure to know your favorite fairy story."

"What?" Azura asked, but received no response.

If Summer's quick inhale of breath wasn't enough to alert him, then the suspicion he felt come from her definitely was. Azura frowned, turning back around to face the cliff, and sat down.

"No time better than now to think, I guess." He said.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**Wow, this chapter turned out much longer than I thought it would be. Lots of things I wanted to do here, so I guess it makes sense.**

**Well, have a nice day/evening!**


	39. Silver Lining In Sight

**Well, I kinda wish that this chapter came out two days earlier...because it was the first year anniversary of GVLP on April 8th. Crazy to think about the fact that this story is one year old, really. I'm really happy that people enjoy reading the story enough to follow it, and I want to thank everyone reading for following it as I write through it. It's been a journey, and I'm hoping that this year doesn't involve a near four months without an update on the story.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! Here's to another year of this story.**

**Chapter 39: Silver Lining In Sight**

**.**

**.(Chapter Start)**

**.**

**September 16th**

**Monday**

**Very Cloudy**

Azura pushed off of the wall he was leaning on, putting his scroll away. Having just finished a conversation with Velvet about the details of Aurora's situation and promising to go and talk to her at a later point in time, there was a lot on his mind, including his curiosity of what Velvet wished to talk about. The orphanage had burned down, killing everyone but Aurora, and he had no idea how or why.

He wasn't exactly the most happy person at the moment, but seeing his team all talking to each other did put a smile on his face. He had already met up and gotten all of the hugs out of the way with them, thinking about how there was a lot of hugging yesterday. He shook his head, amused by the idea, and just watched everyone talking. Even Pyra was more talkative than yesterday, which he liked.

Pyrrha was the first to notice him watching them, a warm smile on her face as her green eyes keenly looked him over. She waved him over towards her, and once he made his way towards her, she spoke quietly to him as everyone remained distracted by their conversations.

"Feeling better than yesterday?"

Azura shrugged, replying just as quietly. "It's so-so, I guess. A lot to think about, but I am glad to finally get to sleep in my own bed again."

She laughed under her breath. "That is good to hear. Now...you said you wanted to tell us something? We are all aware of the topic, but you wanted to bring it up, I believe."

"I do want to tell them, yeah." Azura said in his normal voice, looking up to see the others going quiet and were watching him. "I did promise Ruby I would."

"Promised Ruby you would do what?" Nora said, tilting her head.

"Introduce Aurora to you guys." Azura explained. "Given her current situation, and the fact that she agreed, Ruby and I figured it might help her to have a small group of people to go to if she needed help. Though, you guys know the situation already, huh?"

"Kind of, yeah." Jaune said, his blond locks being pushed to the side. "She's an orphan that you and Ruby have been visiting, and something happened in the breach to have her be brought to Beacon."

Azura nodded, his eyes downcast.. "That's right. The orphanage she lived in was...burned down in the breach, killing everyone. Velvet told me." He felt Pyrrha's gloved hand on his arm, and sighed as he gave a small smile and looked back up. "She's likely scared and hurting right now...and Ruby and I want to help her. The first step we want to take is to make her feel like she has people here for her. Team RWBY has helped her start to grow accustomed to Beacon, but we want you guys to help as well, if you want to."

"Of course we'll help!" Nora said, and Azura felt a little odd seeing her look so serious. "No one deserves to be left alone after such a horrible event, right Renny?" She continued, looking up at Ren.

The quiet boy nodded. "You're right about that, Nora. It's the least we could do, Azura."

"I would be glad to help out, if I am able to." Pyra said, her blue eyes watching Pyrrha more than him.

"Team Juniper is here for you, Azura. We help each other out in any way we can." Jaune said, a wide smile on his face.

Pyrrha nodded, sitting by his side. "Family is important, and I can see you consider Aurora to be like family to you. It would be wrong of me to not help as much as I can."

"Thanks, you guys. It means a lot." Azura said, his eyes bright with warmth as he smiled. "And it certainly makes my next action a lot easier."

"Your next action? What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"Well, I suppose it's in a few actions, but I mean telling Ruby that I can take Aurora off her hands for now to meet you guys." Azura explained himself, before continuing. "For now, though, I need to caution you guys about her semblance. It's not bad, but I want it to be kept in mind."

"What about her semblance?" Nora asked. "What does it do?"

"Well, as far as I have seen, it allows her to be able to read the emotions of people around her." He said. "And given what she is going through, I'm not sure if she could handle a spike of emotions so suddenly."

"The ability to read emotions…" Ren said, looking at his hands.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Jaune asked.

"I'm not saying that you guys should just stop feeling emotions or something, or to stuff them down and away. But, like, try to not be too emotional with her. She'll be overwhelmed if you do, and she already has to deal with her own negative emotions at such a young age."

"We can do that, Azura." Pyrrha said, reassuring Azura. "How about this, we let her get slowly introduced to us in small doses and go from there?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Jaune said, looking among everyone. "We could do it in groups of two...uh, by partners. Me and Pyrrha first, then Nora and Ren, then Pyra can introduce herself with Azura being there. And, I'd assume she knows and likes Luna?"

Azura nods, having Luna already out and visible with his semblance. "Yeah, she does."

"Then she can be there as a support as well as Azura. Sounds good, everyone?"

"That would work well." Ren replied, nodding his head. "Allows her to have space and get to know us on a more small scale."

Seeing no other response, Jaune nods. "Perfect, then." He looks over at Azura. "Will she be coming over soon?"

Azura nodded. "Yeah. I was actually waiting to see if you guys wanted to do it first. I can go and get her now, if you'd want."

"That would be wonderful." Pyrrha said, letting her arm fall as Azura stood up.

"Right. Well, give me a minute, I'll be right back." Azura said, heading towards the door and opening it.

He closed it a moment later, sighing in relief. He hadn't expected them to say no, but he was glad to have gotten that out of the way. He looked at the door to RWBY's dorm room, wondering what exactly he would find. Summer wasn't talking, but he appreciated the feeling of someone being there.

Taking the three short steps it took to reach the door, he knocked on it, taking a step to back away, and then waited for a response. He could already hear the muffled noise of people within the room, the sound becoming clear as the door opened and Ruby stepped out of the dorm.

"I'll be right back, you guys." She called back, closing the door right behind her. She turned her face to look at him, and Azura could tell she was avoiding having to look at his left side. "Hey…"

"You sound tired." Azura commented, hand on his side. "Everything okay?"

Ruby nodded. "I'm fine, just a bit worn out, I guess. You?"

"Likely feeling the same as you." Azura said blandly, sighing afterwards. "Sorry, you know what I mean."

"I know."

"Seriously, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Just tired, I promise." She said. "Can we not do this routine we do right now?"

"If you want, sure."

"Thanks." Ruby said, smiling at him. "Aurora likes everyone, just to say. It's kind of funny to see, really."

"How is she?" Azura asked, a slight lilt of Summer's voice coming out strong as he asked.

Ruby blinked, distracted for a moment, before shaking her head. "She's still quiet, obviously. She'd rather listen to us talk than talk herself still, but we shouldn't expect progress so soon. Blake is kinda uncomfortable with her semblance, but has expressed interest in helping her find replacements for the books she lost...in the fire." she paused for a moment, thinking. "Yang kinda fits right in for Aurora, but hasn't really been able to find something to do, since she only got released from medical stuff earlier today. Weiss, though...it's like a completely different person."

"Weiss?" He said, repeating the name as a question. "I think I got a glimpse of that yesterday, actually. Maybe she's just a little more comfortable now?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe. But Weiss has been really kind to Aurora, and is currently helping her do something with hair. I'm not much of a hair person, so...yeah. But it's cute. I think Aurora likes her the most."

Azura smiled. "That's really cute, yeah. And well, I'm sure Weiss could help out a lot. She has that quality about her."

"Quality?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.

Azura tilted his head, trying to explain himself. "It's like a rare gentleness she has, I guess. I don't know, she doesn't have those moments where she drops all pretenses of herself and kind of just be herself?"

"Oh. Well, she kind of does. Like, she's been like that since yesterday, but I don't really remember many moments where she was all...uh…"

"Open?" Azura supplied.

Ruby nods. "Yeah, that works."

Azura remembered the CCT like it was yesterday. That tired look and sigh, as well as the rather hesitant yet hasty responses to being asked if she'd like to talk to her family. He shook the thought from his head, responding to Ruby. "Well, everyone in the JNPR dorm is open to the idea of seeing Aurora, if I can have her."

"Of course. You kind of mean a lot to the girl, if one of the few topics that gets her to talk being you means anything." Ruby said, her tiredness forgotten as she got to talk about Aurora. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Azura remained silent as Ruby opened the door back up, speaking to her team within as Azura came up behind Ruby to look inside.

Azura's here!"

Weiss dropped Aurora's hair from her hands, though it was a little too late, seeing that Azura already caught her sizing up a small side ponytail. Beyond that, Yang and Blake were both scrambling to pretend that they weren't joining Weiss in the antics. He found the scenario quite funny, glad to see that Aurora was rather distracted and looking more lively, even if she wasn't talking much, as Ruby said.

Though, she did spring more into action upon hearing Ruby's words, quickly making her way to the door to look up at him. Ruby laughed briefly before moving out of the way and allowing Azura to be in front of her.

"Hi…" She said quietly.

Azura smiled down at her, crouching down to be eye level with her. "Was Weiss trying to get you to have a different hairstyle?"

The girl nodded, her pink eyes wide.

"I don't want to hear it, Azura." Weiss said from the room.

He looked past Aurora to see Weiss, responding in amusement. "No no, don't you worry. I'm sure you'd be a great hairstylist, Weiss! Could work with a business of side ponytails."

She gawked at him, responding hastily. "I said I didn't want to hear it!"

Azura merely shook his head, returning his gaze to Aurora. "Anyway, I have a question for you, Aurora. How would you feel about visiting my team at school?"

She tilts her head, as if debating it. "They are...nice?"

"Nicest people I know." Azura replied, shooting an amused look at team RWBY as they all reacted without words.

"Then...okay. Will you be there?"

Azura nods. "Right in the same room with you. Luna will be there as well."

"Okay." She replied simply.

Azura stood up, nodding his head to everyone. "Thanks for taking care of her. I'll take her off your hands for a few hours, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Ruby said, answering for them. "Have fun, Aurora, okay?"

Aurora nods to Ruby, shuffling out of the room as Azura backed away, letting Ruby close the door as they did so, and walked back to the same door Azura had first exited. Azura looked down at Aurora, a supportive hand on her shoulder, and a warm smile coming to his lips.

"Ready?"

She nods, and Azura raises his scroll to unlock the door and open it up. Guiding Aurora inside, he could see everyone's heads turn to look at her, and the girl froze for a brief moment. Pyrrha and Luna were on her bed, with Jaune nearby, while Pyra and Nora had been talking, with Ren on the right side of the room, observing. Azura eased Aurora further into the room, crouching down just behind her and speaking.

"These are my teammates, and we all make up team Juniper." Azura first said. "The one next to Luna is Pyrrha Nikos, and she is by far the kindest person here."

Pyrrha's cheeks flared up slightly at the praise. "Hello."

"Warm…" Aurora whispered, quiet enough for only Azura and Luna to pick up, though he could tell that she had spoken without thinking.

He shifted and pointed over to Jaune. "That right there is the leader of our fine team, Jaune Arc. Nice guy, he'll try to help you however he can."

Jaune smiled. "Heya."

"Kind…" She whispered again.

Azura gave her a moment to sort through her semblance before moving on to the next nearest person. "That's Nora Valkyrie. She's the lightning dust of our team and will definitely find a way to do something crazy and fun. She's kind of the excitable one."

Nora's greeting was not as warm as Jaune's and Pyrrha's, nor similar to how Azura worded her, but held a knowing tone as she softly spoke. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh...she…" Aurora whispered, surprise on her face before it faded away back to a neutral look.

Azura wasn't sure what Aurora had picked up on there, but got to the next person. "There's my partner, Pyra Sol. She's a good person, and I trust her to help me if I need it. Maybe you could feel the same way."

Pyra nodded. "Hello."

The lack of a notable whisper set a different tone as Aurora inched ever so slightly closer to Azura's body. Pyra looked away, shaking her head and sighing quietly. Azura frowned as he watched it all, feeling like it would be better to just wrap up the introductions.

"And last, but not least, is Lie Ren. Though, call him Ren. He's quiet, like you and Blake, and will probably give you more advice about tea or his daily words of wisdom than you thought you would need."

"Welcome to our humble abode at Beacon." He said, his voice calm and measured.

"...Peace." Aurora whispered this time.

Azura looked at Ren as Aurora whispered, and the green-clad boy raised an eyebrow, noticing the look. Azura looked away, turning his gaze to Aurora again.

"Why don't you go greet Luna and maybe Pyrrha?" He suggested. "I'm sure they would be delighted to talk to you."

Aurora looked at him for a few moments, mouth open like she was going to speak. Seeing his smile, she slowly stepped away and shuffled to where Luna and Pyrrha were. Jaune was nearby, simply watching with a look of patience that Azura did not see on the blonde boy too often. He turned his gaze to Pyra and Nora, who were now talking to each other quietly while Pyrrha fully introduced herself, noticing that Pyra was looking at Aurora. Azura stood up, watching as Aurora was sat on the bed by Luna, now sitting in his mother's lap as her tail wrapped around the girl. He smiled as Aurora relaxed with Luna by her side, gingerly grabbing the tail out of nervousness.

"I assume that she was whispering to herself during your little introductions of us?" Ren asked, having approached him.

Azura leaned against the door, watching Ren lean on the wall next to it, looking at him. "She was, yeah. I think she was trying to sort her semblance, if I had to guess."

"Makes sense." Ren replied. "The reason I ask is because of two things. I'm sure you are curious about what she whispered about me, and want to know about Nora being all...not Nora."

Azura looked at Ren, wondering why he brought it up. "It's not like you to really open up about stuff, Ren. What's up?"

Ren caught Nora's eye, gesturing to Azura, a silent conversation between the two occuring. Nora nodded her head, a smile coming to her. Ren nodded in return, gaining Azura's attention again as he spoke. "Well, I will not go too in-depth about things, but Nora kinda knows what it's like for Aurora. She was an orphan as well, before we met...back home."

"Oh...I never knew." Azura said, a frown on his face.

"It's okay, Azura." Ren replied, waving his worry off. "Nora is more okay with the topic now, just doesn't really bring it up if she can help it. The fact that she let me tell you is a sign that she trusts you enough with the information now, but that's not my point." He said, a hint of a smile coming on his face. "Nora's always been empathetic of others, but has a soft spot for those who have gone through hardship she understands. If you ever want help, Nora should be the one you go to."

Azura looked over at Nora, smiling. "I'll keep it in mind. That does sound like Nora, really. On top of everything else 'Nora', it fits."

"It truly does." Ren agreed. "But, this other thing...I think you will want to hear this."

Azura fixed his eyes on Ren's magenta ones. "What is it?"

"My semblance. Now that I am aware of Aurora having a semblance, as well as what it does, I feel like I am the opposite." Ren said, his gaze distant as he spoke. "You have not heard about my semblance, correct?"

"Er, no." Azura said. "It's just never been brought up between the two of us, I guess."

"Figured as much." Ren replied, nodding. "My semblance, Tranquility, allows me to mask the emotions of myself and others near me. It's main use is to mask negativity, but there are plenty of other ways for me to use it."

"Then, it's as you said." Azura said quietly, looking at Aurora, who was entranced by some story that Pyrrha was telling. "An opposite to Aurora's semblance."

"Exactly. And, well, I wanted to suggest something that I felt you might like."

Azura turned back to Ren with a quizzical gaze. "And what do you want to suggest?"

"Well, from what I can guess, Aurora has trouble with handling her semblance, correct?"

Azura nods. "Yeah. Easily overwhelmed if she's around multiple people without assistance. If I had to assume, I'd say her semblance is more passive than active, though I haven't really tried to get her to explore her semblance at all."

"I figured as much." Ren said crossing his arms over his chest. "Which is why I want to suggest the possibility of me helping Aurora with her semblance. I have the feeling that the experience I have with a semblance that masks emotions might be beneficial to helping her with her semblance. What do you think?"

Azura was surprised, his eyes wide as he replied. "Ren, that sounds amazing. You'd do that?"

Ren nods. "Of course. If not for training to be a Huntsman, then for being your friend. That is what we do for each other, obviously. We're a team, the six of us. We have to help each other out if we can."

Azura smiles. "Thank you, Ren. It means a lot to me that you want to help Aurora." He shrugs. "It might not help with her grief, but I think it's a great step forward if it works."

"Great. Though, I would like to ask that you be there whenever I do this, hopefully soon." Ren replied, waving a hand with a flick of his wrist.

"Well, I won't say no. I planned on being there anyway. But, can I ask why?"

"Just not sure how my semblance could affect hers, if it comes to that." Ren said simply, shrugging. "So, you up to do this at some point?"

"Yeah, of course I am." Azura said. "I'll be sure to make it up to you somehow. Just, uh...if you need help or something, I'll be there."

"Not needed, but I know you will." Ren replied with a chuckle, pushing away from the wall. "Come on, I'm sure Aurora would like for you to be with her at this point."

**.**

**.(Line Break)**

**.**

Azura frowned, staring at the chessboard before him while in Ozpin's office. By all rights, it looked like he would win, with his three white pawns, one white bishop, both white knights, both white rooks, and the white queen and king pieces. Ozpin was clearly at the disadvantage from a pure numbers standpoint with the black chess pieces, having only one pawn, one bishop, one knight, and the black queen standing in front of the lonely king piece.

And yet, Azura was losing. He had too many pieces, and did not wish to play a sacrifice to get rid of more of Ozpin's pieces. If he stepped too far, and sacrificed too many pieces, he would be run ragged within a few turns. He frowned stubbornly, glancing at Luna who was simply watching, then looked back to the board. With a sigh, Azura took a pawn and moved it forward.

"Your turn." He said, glancing at Ozpin, who had been looking at Merlot's scroll while he waited.

Ozpin nodded slowly, fingers intertwined as he rested his chin on them, looking over the board. He placed two fingers on his black queen and moved it forward, knocking the pawn Azura just moved out of the game.

"Checkmate, Azura."

Azura looked over the board and frowned. "My queen can take yours out if I chose to."

Ozpin nodded. "Correct. But you would lose your queen because of my knight, leaving your king defenseless for the next turn. If you move right, my rook takes your king, If you move left, my bishop takes it."

"Damn." Azura muttered. "I surrender."

Ozpin began taking the pieces and putting them away from his desk, the night sky framing the lit office. As he did so, he spoke to Azura. "Do you know why you lost that match, Azura?"

"Because I was unwilling to move?"

"Partially, yes. You were unwilling to let any of your pieces get taken off the board, and unwilling to play the game of attrition that was occurring. But there was something else." Ozpin said, looking over at Azura once he put the board away. "You were so stubbornly against the idea of losing pieces that you accidentally began to play defensively instead of keeping your advantage."

"That makes sense, I suppose." Azura replied, sighing. "Why did we even play that game of chess, anyways? You just had it set up when I came in."

"Call it a curiosity. A look into how you might lead a group of people, or an army. That _is _what chess reflects, of course." Ozpin said, a smirk on his face.

Azura nods. "Huh. I never thought of it like that."

"Now, I suppose we should actually discuss what we wished to speak of." Ozpin said, taking a moment to drink from his mug. "We can go through the topics in whatever order you want. I assume that Aurora's stay is what you would like to talk about first?"

"That would be great, thank you." Azura said.

"Well, some things have been seen already. She currently has no guardian or parent figure, and it seems that the woman in charge...I believe Velvet called her Lu. Well, it seemed that Lu had no records of her. I mean to say that Aurora was taken in without being a known birth in Vale."

Azura tilted his head, confused. "What does that mean?"

Ozpin sighed. "It likely means that Aurora was not born in the city of Vale itself, and was abandoned somewhere." Azura's jaw tightened in anger, but stopped from getting up when Ozpin held a hand up. "Now, Velvet told me more. Lu had taken her in just as she left the White Fang, opening the orphanage shortly after."

"_Then, the fire that Velvet mentioned could have actually been an arson…?_" Summer said, horrified as she trailed off.

Azura licked his lips, catching a concerned look from Ozpin. "She was in the White Fang...and left?"

"Correct." Ozpin said, now narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Is everything alright, Mister Heart?"

Azura nodded, bracing himself. "Yeah, it's nothing to worry about. So, what happens to Aurora?"

Ozpin smiles as he answers. "That happens to be good news. She's now been secured as under your care, Mister Heart. Well, more specifically, you are the official guardian, but she is under the care of 'Beacon'."

"Wait, what?" Azura asked, bewildered. "I mean, I'd be happy to take care of her, but how was this decided so quickly?"

"Well, I was not actually contested on such a decision." Ozpin explained. "And once I promised that Beacon would take care of her when you are unable to, I was able to set the rules there. Though, I must tell you that, outside of classes and training, Aurora is purely in your care."

"No, that's fine. Again, thank you, you've really helped me out with this." Azura said, truly thankful.

"It is merely my job as your headmaster. Before I get to my own topic, is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

"It's about the Nightmare Grimm. I did tell you that it was in Vale the night of the Breach. I'm really worried about that still." Azura said, leaning forward. "I can't just let it live, especially now. It will be waiting for me and Luna to be in a bad position as it gathers its strength."

"Yes, I really must agree." Ozpin said, sighing a moment later. "But it would take some time to track it within these parts of Vale. That can be a topic of discussion later, though. What I would like to know is what it was capable of, Mister Heart."

Azura gave it some thought, thinking about what he remembered from his struggle against the Nightmare. "It fought with a massive blade that looked like a giant claw attached to its right arm, and its left arm seemed to be for grabbing things. It could also create some...moisture from its body. It latches onto the bodies of Grimm and makes them fight for it, to the death."

Ozpin furrowed his brow as he took in the information. "That is...certainly concerning to know. A Grimm that can control other Grimm...is very bad. Is there anything else?"

"It also devoured Grimm. It was able to create the same moisture from a group of Beowolves, though I do not know what it was trying to do with that." Azura said, feeling a chill go down his spine as he recalled the scene of the Nightmare just squeezing the life out of the Beowolves.

"Hm...very interesting. Thank you for the information, Mister Heart. We shall have to discuss this further at a later point, though."

Azura looked at Ozpin quizzically, Summer's presence now present. "You want to talk about something?"

"Yes, if you do not mind." Ozpin said, waiting for him to nod before speaking again. "If you recall, I asked you to know your favorite fairy tale. So, I shall ask now, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

"As a kid...I mean, I guess 'Little Red Riding Hood' was my favorite because Luna always read it to me. It was a little gruesome, with how the girl got eaten and how a Huntsman saved her by cutting the wolf's stomach open, but it gave me the idea to be a huntsman like my mother." Azura said, a nostalgic smile on his face as he thought about it.

"_I know I've said it before, but that fairy tale has always been a favorite of mine. Always felt special to me._" Summer commented softly.

"Very interesting. The moral of the story...one could say that it is how one should not stray from the path before them. Not anything related to fate or destiny, yes, but still an interesting way to see it." Ozpin said, a small smile coming to him. "My personal favorite has to be the 'The Story of the Seasons', as it holds some importance, for me at least."

"The seasons?"

"Yes. It is a story that few seem to remember." Ozpin said, nodding his head. "The story is a simple one. It tells of an old wizard who lived alone in a cabin, simply living out the rest of his days. Then, one day, four girls came to him, seeking to spread kindness to whoever they wished. These four girls, named after the seasons we now have, were so kind to the wizard that he decided that he would help them out. He gave them powers, each of them different to each other, in order to further spread that kindness and compassion. It is said that the seasons were born from the decision, the cost being the majority of the wizard's magic."

"_If he's telling this story again…_" Summer muttered, then sighed a moment later. "_Just stay alert, Azura. That is all I ask._"

Azura listened to her, his gaze sharper as he straightened in his chair across Ozpin. Summer's words brought a series of questions to his mind, wondering if he would know why Ozpin wanted to talk about fairy tales.

"Would you like to know why you were truly brought here, Azura?" Ozpin asked.

The change to using his first name made Azura feel like this was some sort of a test. If he said no, he felt like he would be allowed to leave as is. But, if he said yes, something more would happen.

"_No matter what you say, I will support you in any way I can. If you can put such an unending amount of trust into me, then I will be sure to justify your trust in me by fully trusting you._" Summer said, her voice very serious. "_But...if you do say yes, there will be no turning back from here. Do you understand?_"

"_Loud and clear._" Azura said, thinking long and hard about the question.

Ozpin was watching him patiently, and Azura knew that he was simply waiting for his conversation with Summer to end. If Summer knew what was happening, then Ozpin was definitely aware of what he was being told by the woman in Azura's head.

Azura nodded a few moments later, looking at Ozpin in the eyes. "Will this help me defend my friends and others I care for from terrible events like the breach? Will it help me to kill the Nightmare Grimm?"

"There are some things I might actually be able to help you learn to better defend your friends and those you care for, and make it possible for you to fight in several more ways than I know you and Summer have been able to work with." Ozpin explained, waving a free arm to gesture towards Azura. "In fact, I believe it might be possible for you and Summer to see each other in person again. Obviously, the soul bond will likely stay intact, but I think the theory should still work."

Azura nodded, taking the words into consideration before answering. "Then, if that's the case...I accept your offer to know why I was brought here."

Ozpin smiled. "Thank you for accepting. That fairy tale I told you, Azura, it's true. That is something that actually happened."

"I...what?" Azura asked, confused. "How? Magic doesn't exist."

"In a world of semblances, aura, and your current situation of being soul bonded to a ghost, is it so unbelievable?"

Azura looked down. "I guess that's true. But, why is it not accepted as truth, then? It's probably been known as a fairy tale for a while, right?"

You would be correct, but that is because it has been kept secret for centuries now. You are one of the very few people I have decided to tell this to, Azura." Ozpin said. "The four girls given that magic are called Maidens, and the powers are passed down to a different girl each time a Maiden were to die. These maidens are protected by people like me, and others that are within the Inner Circle. And our goal is to take the Grimm down and those that wish to stop us."

It clicked for Azura in that moment. "And you wish to ask me to join this group?"

"Yes, I would. Now, Summer had already been in the group, and I know she is very suspicious of me even asking you to join." He said, looking at Azura. "Which is why I am asking both of you this time. I assume she has told you what this is?"

"Kind of, yes. She has told me that she'll support me no matter which way I answer, though." Azura said, a look of determination on his face. "I want to be able to protect those I care for, and I trust Summer with my life at this point. She has saved me from death twice now. I'll join the inner circle."

Ozpin nods. "I see. I'm sure she knows of those in the group. Glynda, Ironwood, the other headmasters...Qrow."

Azura ignored the stab of emotions that came to him at the mention of Qrow, deciding to speak instead. "Even so, I wish to join. If it is for the greater good, to be able to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and for me to protect those I care for, then I'll join."

"Then, I shall welcome you within the ranks of the Inner Circle, Azura. And we have much to discuss."

"Such as?"

"The main threat facing us. The Black Queen, also called Salem." Ozpin said, looking like he had more to say.

Azura hissed in pain, the mention of the name sparking the same sense of energy that he felt just a short few nights before. He held a hand over his left eye, wincing in pain as the markings on his left arm seemed to flare in pain. It started to subside a moment later, leaving Azura gasping for air. As Azura took in the office once more, he saw Ozpin standing from his chair, ready to move around the desk.

Seeing him not in pain anymore, Ozpin sighed in relief. "Perhaps it is not wise for me to speak the name. You should go, Azura. We shall speak of this matter about her later, when Summer is more prepared for such a topic. I shall be sure to ask for your presence here when we can talk again." He sighed again. "Thank you for deciding to join us, Azura. Be sure to rest and heal in the coming days."

Azura nodded, slowly getting up from the chair. The dull ache of his arm and eye was not a fun sensation, but he pushed past it to speak. "I promise to do that, then. Thank you for your help with Aurora, and for deciding to help me."

"Of course."

Azura turned, walking to the elevator and letting the doors close as he held his left arm with a sigh. Summer's presence was gone, but he could feel the guilt from her. As the elevator began to go down, he whispered to himself, talking to Summer. "It's okay, Summer. Whoever she is, whatever she is, I would rather avoid knowing it if you cannot handle it."

He just hoped that he could help her through the clear problems that she had with certain topics.

**.**

**.(Chapter End)**

**.**

**So, (late) anniversary of GVLP aside, I enjoyed getting this chapter together. Lots of setting up within this chapter, obviously, and other things. Don't worry, school life will continue soon enough, so it won't be a bunch of boring talking 24/7 for the next few chapters...hopefully.**

**Have a nice day/evening!**


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